


At Any Cost

by Shugs



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Blood and Violence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-23
Updated: 2015-07-07
Packaged: 2018-04-05 18:02:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 59,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4189623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shugs/pseuds/Shugs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam and Dean vow to stop the Apocalypse at any cost and with Gabriel's help, things look promising. But when push comes to shove and Zachariah reveals a devastating secret, Sam starts to worry about just how far his brother is willing to go, when Dean joins the ranks of Hell to make sure Heaven doesn't win.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No one could ever stop it now...

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate ending to Supernatural Season 5 - Following 5x08 - "Changing Channels"  
> An older story I've posted elsewhere, but thought I'd share here.

****CHAPTER 1: No one could ever stop it now  
  
Under the darkness of night, the old run down hospital’s long winding hall didn’t seem to have an end. Guns drawn, Sam and Dean moved swiftly and meticulously through the maze of corridors, carefully making their way over debris that littered the floor as they searched the rooms one by one for the source of the haunting that had brought them out there in the first place. After refusing to play their role as vessels in the final battle between Heaven  & Hell, the brothers were determined to find their own way out of the mess they’d made; choosing to fight for themselves rather than give in to the angels and demons that were trying to tear them apart for their own purpose. Despite being wanted by both sides, the threat of a looming Apocalypse and the fact that all odds were against them coming out of it alive, going back to hunting and keeping busy seemed like the best distraction... if only to keep the crushing weight off their shoulders, for a moment.

Leading the way, Dean paused in his steps as he spotted a fresh footprint in the lair of dust that had settled on the floor. Without a word, he pointed the find to his younger brother and then pointed to the closed door in front of them. Just like a team of skilled officers, they put their backs against the wall; Dean giving his younger brother a nod before putting a hand to the door knob and slowly giving it a turn. The second it unlatched, he shouldered his shotgun, kicked the door into the wall and turned the corner to face the unknown... stopping dead in his tracks when his eyes focused on Zachariah and a pair of angels that were standing there waiting for him. "Oh shit..."

"Well hello there." Zachariah started, a smirk to the corner of his lips as he pointed to the sawed off shot gun in the hunter’s tight grip. "You were expecting someone else?" He asked simply.

Dean couldn’t help but swear under his breath as he eyed the two rather large men standing there at Zachariah’s side. Both were at least twice his size and if that wasn’t enough to put the situation in their favor, the sharp blades they were holding certainly was. Though he took aim with the gun in his hands, he knew it would do him no good; rock salt was no match for angels. "Sam, I could really use your help in here." He called out, his voice bouncing off the old crumbling walls around him. When he didn’t get a reply, he took a quick glance over his shoulder at the empty doorway behind him, his younger brother was nowhere in sight. "Uh, Sammy?"

"Your brother has his own problems to deal with, never mind handling yours." Zachariah replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "And just so you know... Ignoring the problem, wont make it go away."

When the door suddenly slammed shut behind him, Dean swallowed hard, letting the eerie sound settle in the back of his mind before finding his words. "You’ve gotta be pretty dense if you still don’t get the message." He growled, his eyes narrowing on the angels that stood in front of him. "Like I already told you, Michael can shove it where the sun don’t shine as far as I’m concerned... The answer’s still no."

There was a short moment of silence as Zachariah eyed the defiant hunter carefully. "Of course it is." He calmly replied. "You made that point quite clear; I know you wont say yes to Michael."

"Well I’m glad you finally got it through that thick skull of yours." Dean hissed, his low tone of voice doing little to hide the fear that was slowly starting to surface. "I’ve got to admit though, between you guys and Lucifer, I thought you’d be the first to stop wasting your time with this ‘true vessel’ crap."  
  
"I’m more persistent than Lucifer." Zachariah calmly replied.  
  
"Yeah sure, if that’s what you want to call it." Dean continued, his eyes drifting over to the two large angels standing there at Zachariah’s sides. "Why are you here, what do you want?" He growled.

"Well I know you won’t listen to me..." Zachariah started, a smirk to the corner of his lips. "So I came here to find someone that will... I consider it a plan B. approach to dealing with the Apocalypse."

"You son of a bitch, if you so much as lay a hand on Sam, I will rip your heart right out of..."

"Whoa, take it easy boy." The angel cut in, his slight chuckle instantly silencing the other man. "Sam’s just as bullheaded as you are, he won’t say yes..." Zachariah paused for a moment as he reached over to one of the angels at his side, taking the sharp blade in his hand before turning his attention back to Dean. "By the way, that determination you have to stay true to yourself and what you believe in, you get that from your mother’s side."

Dean’s heart started to race as he eyed the large blade in the angel’s tight grip. If they weren’t there for him and they didn’t want his brother, what did they want? "What are you going to do with that?" He asked, taking a step back as Zachariah took one forward.

"I’m going to give him a reason to show up." Zachariah simply replied, passing a finger along the sharp blade. "Don’t you worry though, this wont hurt... too much."

"Give who a reason?" Dean growled, swallowing the lump caught in his throat as the angel gave him a sinister smile. "What the hell are you talking about!" When Zachariah took another step towards him, he didn’t hesitate pulling the trigger.

"Was that really necessary?" Zachariah asked, shaking his head as he passed a hand over the hundreds of small holes that now peppered his clean, crisp shirt. "I like this vessel, makes me look important..."

"It made me feel better." Dean explained, loading the shotgun a second time as he took another step back. When he backed into someone else and a pair of hands clamped down around his arms, he swore under his breath, his shotgun falling to the floor. One of the angels that had been there in front of him only moments ago was now standing behind him, holding him in place. "What’s going on, what do want." He demanded.

"You’ll see." Zachariah whispered, rolling the large silver blade in the palm of his hand as he watched Dean try to free himself from the angel’s firm grip. "Relax, I’m not going to kill you... Not now anyway." He started softly, a villainous tone hidden in his voice. "We just need to spill a bit of blood."

When Zachariah took a swing at the air between them, Dean was not only caught off guard but taken by surprise as the angel’s sharp blade sliced into his flesh. Though it happened in the blink of an eye, he felt that blade drag against each and every one of the ribs along his right side. The searing pain was unbearable and as he sucked in a shallow breath, it took everything he had just stay on his feet. "You son of a bitch." He breathed, his words barely coming together as he caught the eyes of the angel standing there in front of him. Zachariah’s smug, sinister smile only added fuel to the fire, but the anger that was burning in the pit of his stomach was quickly being drowned out by the pain the angel had inflicted without even a touch. When he clamped a shaky hand down over the deep gash, he couldn’t help but cringe; feeling the warmth of his own blood as it seeped through his fingers and trickled down his arm forced him to remember his time spent tortured in Hell. Every heartbeat hit like a hammer and every time it did, the pain surged through his body.

The moment a drop of blood hit the ground at his feet, was the moment Castiel stepped out of thin air and the angel that had been holding him up, let him fall to the floor. Dean hit the ground hard, swearing to himself as the impact triggered a whole new level of pain. Against his will, his body was slowly starting to shut down and the harder he fought the darkness that was threatening to take him, the harder it got for him to keep his focus and control. As Zachariah and his accomplices turned their attention from him to the renegade angel that had suddenly appeared, Dean could do little more than watch. This wasn’t about him or his brother, this was about Castiel and he had just been used to bait the trap.

Castiel was the first to take a swing with his dagger in hand, and though he managed to slice into one of the angel’s arms, and into the other one’s chest, it didn’t take long for the pair to get the best of him. Ripping the blade from his hands and tossing it aside, Zachariah’s two accomplices quickly moved in, forcing Castiel up against a wall. "Leave him alone." Dean groaned, helplessly watching as Castiel took one punch after another, the finale one having enough force to knock him through the wall and into the next room. "Please..." He pleaded, letting his head fall to the cold floor he was lying on. "Just leave him alone." When the two angels disappeared into the second room and Zachariah turned slightly to catch his eyes, he knew this wouldn’t end well.

"I’ll see ya around Dean." He said, a sinister smirk plastered across his face. "Sooner than later..."  
 

* * *

  
Dean awoke with a start, his heart pounding and his breath catching in the back of his throat as he quickly sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. It took a moment for everything to fall back into place but when it did, it hit him hard. He felt his stomach turn and let out a ragged breath as he tried to keep his mind off the blood drenched scene that had just played out inside his spinning head. He swore to himself and as he passed a hand over his face, the light on the bedside table next to him suddenly came on. He swallowed hard; another night, another town, another rundown motel, but the same thoughts, the same fears and the same conversation was about to follow. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you..." He managed, his eyes glued to the questionably clean carpet under his feet.

"You alright?" Sam asked quietly, carefully studying the man that was sitting on the very edge of the bed next to him. He wasn’t gasping for breath, this time, but he didn’t seem to be catching it fast enough to fill his lungs either. Dean sat hunched over with his face in his hands, the mess of tangled sheets pushed all the way to the foot of his bed. Though such a sight was something Sam was starting to get use to, getting used to it made it no easier to witness. Night after night was the same, and the toll it was taking on Dean, was starting to take it’s toll on Sam. When he didn’t get a reply, he let out a sigh. "Dean..."

"I’m good." Dean was quick to reply, his voice barely above a whisper as he finally looked up to catch his younger brother’s eyes. Though he offered what he could of a smile, he knew he was fooling no one, himself included. During the day, he did what he could to keep busy, but at night, when all was calm, his fears about the future and memories of the past always did come back to haunt him. "I just, uh..." He paused for a moment as his mind drifted in and out, a shaky hand reaching up to the sore spot in his right side. "I just had a dream, and..."

When Sam’s eyes focused on the dark stain that was starting to soak through his older brother’s T-shirt, he swore under his breath. "Damn it, Dean." He breathed, thinking of that night at the old Hospital when he had found his brother on the floor, lying in a pool of his own blood. "That’s the fifth time you pull those stitches out..." He started, his tone of voice laced with more weariness than it was with concern as he pushed the bed sheets aside and got to his feet. The last few weeks had been hard and just knowing that they were running out of time made it that much harder to keep it all within focus. Days were slipping by, Dean could hardly keep up and they were no closer to stopping either side from launching an all out war that would mean death to mankind.

Dean silently watched as his brother disappeared into the motel washroom, the sound of running water in the sink being the only thing to fill the dead of night as the other man wet a clean towel. He closed his eyes for a moment, the gash in his side a constant reminder that the angels were still one step ahead of them and that no matter what, the Apocalypse was going to happen. With or without them, the angels would make sure that it did. Lost in his own thoughts, he didn’t hear the other man make his way back towards the bed.

When Sam dragged the small lamp across the bedside table, Dean’s eyes suddenly flew open. "Hey, you alright?" He asked again, dropping his duffle bag on the ground next to him as he knelt down between the two beds and started digging around for his first aid kit. "You looked a little lost there for a second..."

"All things considered, I’m fine." Dean replied quietly, wincing slightly as he pulled his shirt up and over his head. The movement alone was enough to make him feel Zachariah’s blade drag against his rib cage all over again but he did his best to hide it from Sam, because that’s just the way it was. His breath caught in the back of his throat as his brother pressed the cold, wet cloth up against the gash. "Take it easy, will ya?" He groaned, his eyes closing for a moment as a shiver made its way down his spine.

Sam held the towel there for a moment before gently pulling it away, his eyes carefully studying the line of stitches that were holding the long gash shut. Though the lower half of the wound had finally started to heal, the upper half looked as if it had been made only yesterday. He pulled the lamp shade off to make better use of its light, and swore under his breath as his eyes focused on the half-dozen stitches his brother had just ripped out, again. "If you keep this up, this is never going to heal." He said bluntly, watching as blood continued to seep from the gash.

"Do you think I’m doing this on purpose?" Dean asked drily, grabbing the towel out of his brother’s hands. He pressed it back up to the wound himself as he watched Sam pull items out of the first aid kit nearby. "I’d give anything not to have that night playback inside my head every time I close my godamn eyes." He growled, immediately regretting doing so as a sharp pain greeted his harsh tone of voice. When he caught his younger brother’s eyes, he let out a sigh. "I’m sorry..." He blurted, passing a hand through his hair as he straightened out. "I just, I can’t put it behind me." He explained, pulling the towel away as Sam reached out, tweezers in hand, to remove the broken sutures one by one. "Don’t get me wrong, Sammy, I’ll fight this ‘till I die if I have too... but it’s like the harder we try, the harder it gets...."

Sam swallowed the lump caught in his throat as he tried to keep his focus on removing the torn stitches as quickly and painlessly as he could. "Hey, don’t give up on me, not now." He started softly. "Remember the plan to kill one, kill ‘em all?" He paused for only a moment as Dean cracked somewhat of a smile. "At any cost, Dean..."

There was a moment of silence as Dean watched his younger brother set the tweezers down on the table at his side.

It was what they didn’t talk about that kept them going, what they knew, but avoided to admit. Like the fact that their one and only plan was so unrealistic, saying that they would be going down swinging hard was a better statement. Following that night, they had vowed to stop all of this and no matter what, they were in it for the long haul. "If we don’t find a way, at least we’ll know we tried." He replied quietly, pressing the towel back up to his side as Sam reached for a needle and thread.

Sam didn’t bother giving his brother a reply as he held the needle with his teeth and unraveled a length of thread from the spool. He was starting to tire of getting up in the middle of night to close the cut in Dean’s side and discuss the situation they were in, about how they were getting nowhere as days continued to slip by. After cutting a piece of thread and passing it through the eye of the needle, he turned back towards his brother and paused; his eyes drifting down to the bottle of Whisky tucked under the side of his bed. He let out a heavy sigh as he reached down to grab the bottle. "This has to stop." He stated simply, his stern tone of voice forcing Dean to catch his eyes as he planted the bottle down on the table at his side. "It’s been three weeks..."

"I know how long it’s been." Dean was quick to reply, his mind drifting back for a moment to the last time he’d seen Castiel. "You don’t need to remind me." He said, pulling the towel away and bracing himself as Sam leaned in to start the first stitch. Reality was starting to sink in, he and his brother were left standing alone, alone against Heaven & Hell with no real hope of stopping either side. Even if they could find a way, all odds really were stacked against them. When he felt that needle pierce his skin and the thread drag through after it, Dean sucked in a breath. It didn’t matter how careful, skilled or steady his younger brother was; it still hurt.

"So this is what you guys do at night?" Came a voice from the darkness. "It’s no wonder people think you two are an item... I mean, that’s kind of kinky." Sam paused from his task to look up at Dean before looking over at the archangel that was standing at the foot of the bed. "Hey, I’m just saying..." Gabriel continued, first pointing to a shirtless Dean and then to a kneeling Sam.


	2. Tell me why it costs so much to live

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep in mind this was written following SPN 5x08 "Changing Channels

  
"I’ve gotta admit, it's kinda hot... In a gritty sort of way." Gabriel continued, a smirk to the corner of his lips as he watched Sam get up from the floor.  
  
"If you’re hitting on me, sorry pal, but I’m not interested." Dean said, watching as the archangel’s eyes studied him carefully.  
  
"Who said you’re the one I was hitting on?" Gabriel was quick to reply, sparing a wink in Sam’s direction before turning his attention back to the man sitting on the edge of the bed.

"What do you want." Dean growled, clutching his injured side as his younger brother turned to face the archangel that had suddenly appeared. "Why are you here."

"Demanding little thing, aren’t you?" Gabriel started, a usual grin plastered across his face as he caught Dean’s cold, hard gaze. "Most people, start with Hello."

"We’re not like most people." Sam snapped, casually wiping the blood from his hands before passing the towel back over to his older brother.

"Yeah, I kind of noticed." The archangel replied, well aware of the hostility that hung in the air between them.

"Why are you here, Gabriel." Sam asked, his tone of voice demanding an answer as his eyes bore down on the archangel in front of him.

"Alright, alright hear me out." Gabriel started, his tone of voice shifting as his eyes drifted from one man to the other. "I know we’re not exactly friends, or on speaking terms for that matter, but you two seriously need to get back in the game here before you get yourselves killed."

There was a moment of silence and Sam shook his head. "Like we told your brothers." He hissed, his hands instantly clenching into fists. "This is their war and we wont be a part of it... The answer’s still No."

"Saying No to Michael and Lucifer won’t stop them from settling their score... If you two wont play ball, then they’ll just find somebody else that will." Gabriel explained. "You two are their best bet, but not their only one."

"We’re well aware that refusing to be vessels won’t stop the Apocalypse but Sam and I, we’re still in the game... we’re just not playing for either side." Dean growled, wincing slightly as he felt his rising voice resonate deep inside. "The end might be coming but unlike you, we’re going to do something about it, we’re going to find a way to stop them before it’s too late." Dean swallowed hard as he held the archangel’s eyes, doing his best not to let the pain show on his face. "So if you’re here to try and convince us otherwise, then you might as well just..."

"I’m here because you’re gonna need my help, OK?" Gabriel was quick to reply, his words instantly silencing the other man as if he’d caught him by surprise. "I know what you think of me but I really don’t care."

"We don’t want your help." Sam growled, his mind racing with everything the Trickster had put them through in the past.

"But thanks anyway." Dean added.

There was a moment of silence as Gabriel’s gaze drifted back up from the injured man sitting on the edge of the bed, to the one standing there in front of him. "Boy, you two really are a stubborn pair." He started. "If you two knuckle heads are so determined to stand on your own and stop both Heaven and Hell, you’re going to need all the help you can get, and right now, like it or not... I’m all you’ve got!"

"We don’t want your help." Sam repeated, his gaze fixed on the archangel still standing at the foot of his older brother’s bed.

"Not want, NEED." Gabriel clarified. "If you want to stop all of this and maybe even survive it, then you’re going to NEED my help. So you can gank demons with one gun, some Latin and a fancy spell engraved knife, that’s great but that doesn’t exactly cover both sides, now does it? In case you haven’t noticed, Lucifer’s not a demon... he’s an Angel."

"We’re well aware of that, thanks." Dean curtly replied.

Gabriel couldn’t help but shake his head as he eyed the young hunters in front of him. "Alright, then tell me boys, how DO you intend to stop the Apocalypse and save the world?" He started, his eyes narrowing on the pair as he waited for a reply.

"We’re going to kill the sons of bitches at the helm, we’re..."

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" Gabriel interrupted, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "They’re God’s most powerful creations."

Dean couldn’t help but let out a sigh as he passed his free hand over his face, well aware that the moment of silence was enough to answer the question. "We haven’t figured that out yet." He admitted, his gaze drifting over to the bottle of Whisky on the small table at his side.

"Let me ask you this then, have you ever actually wondered why you can kill demons with the Colt?" Gabriel asked, pausing for a moment to give either men the chance to reply. When neither did, he let out a chuckle. "It’s not rocket science, guys!" He shouted, his voice instantly filling the room. "It’s because of the devil’s trap carved into the handle. You carve one of those things into any one of your weapons and I guarantee, it’ll kill a demon." He paused again as he watched the pair exchange a quick glance.

"Are you going to tell us how to kill an angel or not?" Dean asked, silencing as the archangel put a hand up towards him.

"You know that Sigil Castiel showed you?" Gabriel started. "The one that can send an angel back to Heaven?" He paused as the other man gave him a nod. "Instead of finger painting it in blood all over the walls, you should try carving it into the handle of a gun... That’s how you can kill and angel, genius. When you scrawl it on a wall you cleanse the room, if you put it on your weapons, it’ll cleanse a vessel of it’s angel host, it’ll.."  
  
"If that’s true then why didn’t Castiel ever tell us?" Sam interrupted, his voice once again pulling Gabriel’s eyes away from his older brother.

"Because Castiel doesn’t know." Gabriel was quick to reply. "When you’re at the bottom of the ranks, there’s a lot that you don’t know." He paused for a moment as he took a deep breath, well aware that the brothers still didn’t trust him. "Look, you’re running out of time and the only angel you had in your corner, is gone." He quietly started, watching as Dean’s eyes closed for only an instant, his words without a doubt, ricocheting inside the other man’s head. "You think things are bad now? Well I hate to say it, but its about to get worse, much worse... And if you want to face both sides, then I suggest you start by making weapons that can actually kill what you’ll be up against." The silence that followed his words, could have swallowed the room whole. "Take it or leave it, I just thought you should know... Otherwise you don’t even stand the slightest chance."

Sam couldn’t help but take a quick glance at his brother before turning his attention back to the archangel in front of him. "Why are you helping us?" He asked quietly, trying to understand why someone like the Trickster would offer them anything at all.

"Because the last time we met, when you had me trapped in a ring of Holy fire..." Gabriel started, his voice dropping slightly at the memory. "You had every right to jus leave me there, but you didn't... you let me go."

"That's not the only reason." Dean said, watching as the archangel's eyes drifted away. "C'mon man, why are you really helping us?"

"I’m helping myself, alright?" The archangel simply replied. "Because if no one stops this, I'm going to die in it too..."  
  
"Why don’t you just join us?" Sam continued, catching Gabriel’s eyes. "You know more about angels than we do, fight with us, we can still stop this."

"I'd rather keep my distance." Gabriel replied, bringing his right hand up from his side. "FYI, Dean... when Zachariah sliced into your ribs, he broke the Sigil Cas carved to hide you from them. They know where you are and they know how to find you, so I suggest you start with the angels, because Heaven's not done with you just yet."

"How can we find you?" Sam was quick to ask, watching as the archangel turned to leave. "If we need you?"

"Don’t call me, I’ll call you."

"Wait, before you go." Dean started, feeling his breath start to catch in the back of his throat as he wrestled with the question. "Where’s Castiel?" He asked quietly, looking on as the archangel turned slightly to face him once more. "I need to know..." He continued. "Zachariah used me to draw Cas in... what did the son of a bitch want with him?"

Gabriel swallowed hard as he held Dean’s eyes, knowing that the answer wasn’t something the other man really needed to here. "Zachariah is recruiting anyone he can... He’s offering the lost & hopeless a free pass and fallen angels a second chance, if they’re willing to fight for Heaven." He replied casually, studying the hunter sitting at the edge of the bed, his hand still holding a towel up to his injured side.

"And if they’re not?" When Gabriel hesitated, Dean felt his heart sink like a stone.

"So if Cas refuses to fight for them..." Sam started, his bleak words filling the void. "He’s gone."

"More or less." Gabriel quietly replied, his gaze drifting away. "When it comes to the Angels, you’re either with them or against them, and trust me, they’ll make you regret the day you were born if you’re not on their side..."

"You didn't just come here to help us, did you?" Sam asked, pulling Gabriel's attention back to him. "To tell us how to kill your brothers. There’s something else, something's not sitting right and you don't know what to do about it."

"Am I that transparent these days?" Gabriel started with somewhat of a smirk as he caught the younger man's eyes. "You got me Sammy boy..." He continued, the smirk vanishing just as quickly as it had appeared. "There's something wrong going on here and I'm not quite sure what it is..."

"What do you mean by wrong?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow as he took a quick glance down to his older brother.

"Corrupt may be a better choice of words." Gabriel added, nervously shifting his weight. "When Lucifer walked free, he had with him four horsemen. It’s a package deal, they’re freelance but they don’t come out to play until Lucifer does. You guys killed one of them but the other three haven’t been heard of or seen since the angels started recruiting souls..."  
  
"So you think the horsemen are on Heaven’s side?" Sam asked.

"I don’t know what to think." Gabriel admitted. "They’re either working with the angels or they’re already dead."

Dean couldn’t help but swear under his breath as Zachariah’s sinister smile flashed in the back of his mind. "You know..." He suddenly started, watching as Sam turned slightly to face him. "As far as I’m concerned, a ticket to Heaven just ain’t worth the price anymore. Fighting Angels in the Apocalypse is probably the closest to Heaven that someone like us is ever going to get, and the truth is, I’m OK with that..."

"Don’t sell yourself so short." Gabriel was quick to reply. "You’re a hell of a lot closer to Heaven than you think, Dean." With that said and the snap of his fingers, he was gone.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sam asked, those words still echoing in his head as his eyes scanned their dark motel room for any sign of the archangel that had been standing there at the foot of the bed only moments ago.

"I don’t know..." Dean replied, he too thinking of the meaning behind such a statement.

When Sam turned to face his brother, the first thing he noticed was the grin. "What is it?" He asked, kneeling down in front of the other man to pick up where he had left off.

Dean shook his head in disbelief as he pulled the damp towel away from his right side for his brother to take a look for himself. "It doesn’t even hurt anymore." He declared, tossing the towel onto the bedside table nearby. Though the towel was still stained with his blood, the large gash Zachariah had carved into his flesh was gone.

"What the..." Sam trailed off as he reached out to pass a hand where the deep gash had been. Not only were the stitches gone, so were all traces of the injury.

"I bet you Gabriel had something to do with it...." Dean continued, his voice filling the silence as he watched his younger brother take a seat on the edge of his own bed, his gaze still fixed on where the gash in his side had been.

"Do you really think that we can kill angels if we carve that Sigil Cas showed us into our guns?" Sam asked, his eyes drifting over to the small clock on the dresser nearby. It was just past three in the morning.

"I’m not sure, Sammy." Dean replied, reaching under his pillow to pull out the gun he always had within reach. He swore to himself as he eyed the gun’s ivory handle, etched into one side was a pentagram and into the other, a Sigil. "Damn it Gabe, this was my favorite gun..." He muttered, looking up as his younger brother reached for his own gun.

"Yeah, well now it might actually do more for you." Sam remarked, passing a hand over the symbols carved along the barrel of his weapon of choice.

"I say we head out to Bobby’s first thing tomorrow and see what he can make of all this." Dean replied, tucking the gun away before reaching over to grab the bed sheets that were still tangled at the foot of his bed. "If we’re lucky, he might have found somewhere to start."  
  
"Since when are we that lucky..." Sam muttered, pulling the sheets up as he reached over to shut the lamp on the table at his side.


	3. Let him know that you know best...

Thunder growled overhead and as the Impala pulled up to the house, Sam and Dean knew they were going to be getting an earful. It didn't really seem to matter what they did wrong or what they did right these days, Bobby would always be on their backs about something. Whether it was not checking in often enough, wearing themselves out or in Dean's case, hunting while severely injured, there was always a reason. Dean put the car in park and pulled the keys from the ignition, bracing himself for the speech of a lifetime as he watched the front door fly open. "Here we go..." He started, turning slightly to glance at his brother before focusing on the man in the doorway. The one thing he wasn't expecting to see, was Bobby step out, his wheelchair nowhere in sight. "You know, for a guy who can walk again, you'd think he'd be happy..." Dean muttered, quickly taking notice of the veteran hunter's scowl.

Before they were out of the car, Bobby was down the front steps. "WHAT IN THE WORLD DID YOU TWO IDGITS DO!" He hollered, watching as the brothers exchanged another quick glance . 

"You can walk..." Sam remarked, shutting his door as he watched the other man make his way towards his brother. 

"Like you had nothing to do with this!" Bobby barked, barely catching the younger man's eyes.

"What makes you think it was us?" Dean was quick to reply as the veteran hunter took a threatening step towards him. Though he took a step back, Bobby reached out to grab him by the shirt.

"Unless it's a godamned miracle, which I highly doubt, who else would it be!?" Bobby continued, dragging a reluctant Dean towards him. "Whatever bargaining you did to get me my legs back, boy, you'd better..."

"It was Gabriel, Bobby." Sam interrupted, pulling the other man's attention away from his older brother. "Gabriel paid us a visit last night... He took care of that gouge Zachariah left in Dean's side so if I had to guess, I'd say that he's the one you have to thank for this."

"The Trickster?" Bobby asked, releasing his tight grip on Dean. "Am I missing something here?" He growled, his eyes drifting from one man to the other. "Why the Hell would the Trickster do something like that? The guy's a dick who gets a kick out of messing around with your head!"

"I think he's done messing around." Dean answered simply, relieved that the older man's anger seemed to be dissipating. "He wants us to win and to make sure we at least have a shot at it, he told us how to kill angels." He paused for a moment as he pulled the gun from the back of his belt. "He carved a Sigil into the handle, said that's all it'll take to kill an Angel."

"And you believed him?" Bobby replied, readjusting the hat on his head. "We're talking about the Trickster here, guys!"

"Well it's not like we have anything better, Bobby." Dean was quick to reply, tucking the gun away. "So what do we really have to loose? We're going to fight this either way."

"He also told us that Zachariah was recruiting anyone he could to fight for Heaven." Sam started, swallowing hard as the older man glanced over to catch his eyes. "And that those horsemen we can't find are either already dead or on Heaven's side."

"He said things were about to get worse around here, that we were running out of time." Dean continued.

There was a moment of silence and Bobby let out a sigh. "Well, I hate to admit it, but I think he's got that right" He said, pointing up to the stormy sky above them. "It hasn't rained in days but this lightning show wont let up..."

"What do you mean?" Dean asked, catching the veteran hunter's eyes as he took notice of the sudden shift.

"Did ya pick up a radio station on the drive out here?" Bobby asked quietly. When Dean shook his head, he pointed the pair towards the house. "I've got something you boys might want to check out." 

Dean grabbed the duffle bag from the trunk of his car before the trio headed back to Bobby's house. He couldn't believe how good it felt, just being able to move again without having his skin stretch and pull along his right side. When they followed Bobby into the living room, the first thing the brothers noticed was the maps that littered the desk in front of them. "What's all this?" Dean asked, tossing the bag onto the sofa as watched the older man disappear into the other room for a moment.

"You could call it a warning, I guess." Bobby replied from the kitchen as he grabbed a few bottles of beer from the fridge.

"Of what?" Sam asked, studying the road maps of the surrounding countryside. "We already know there's been more and more demons all over the place..."

"Yeah well I think more angels are starting to make an appearance too." Bobby started as he stepped back into the living room. "You know that little town you boys usually stop in to gas up about an hour north of here?" He continued, reaching out to hand the younger man a beer. 

"Yeah, Scythe?" Sam asked, watching as the veteran hunter passed a bottle to his older brother. "What about it?"

"Most of it's gone." Bobby replied simply, taking a seat behind the cluttered desk.

"What do you mean it's gone?" Dean asked, watching as the other man took a sip of his beer.

"It's just gone." Bobby repeated, setting the bottle down on the only corner of bare desk he could see. "The whole town center's been wiped clean off the map and everything within a ten mile radius of that is burnt to a crisp ..." He paused for a moment as he reached out to grab a newspaper article from the mess in front of him. "According to this and a few police reports, it was an asteroid hit. A huge streak of light or a fireball of some kind was spotted headed that way a few nights ago but there's no crater." He paused for a moment as he passed the paper over to Sam. "The ground's scorched for miles around but there's no sign of an actual impact... That's also around the same time this lightning storm moved in, this entire area is now a dead zone. There's no radio, no tv, no cell phone, nothing. I'm getting a glitch of static on the two-way but that's about it."

"So what do you think it was?" Dean asked, eyeing the article in his brothers hands.

"Well I can tell you what it ain't and that's demons." Bobby replied, pausing for only a moment as he took another sip of his beer. "I think Michael might have actually touched down."

"You're kidding right?" Sam asked, taking a quick glance over at his brother before focusing on the veteran hunter.

"I wish I was." Bobby quietly replied. "It's the only thing I can think of powerful enough to do damage like that... We've seen what angels like Cas and Zachariah can do, just imagine what the big boss is capable of."

"So now we have Lucifer walking around and Michael scopping the place out." Sam said, letting out a heavy sigh. "That's just great, now it's only a matter of time before they run into each other."

"Well you can circle the date on your calendar if you'd like." Bobby started, sifting through the pile of papers in front of him. When he pulled out a worn book from the stack, he quickly flipped it open and passed it to Dean. "One week and three days after Heaven's leader touches ground." He announced, pointing to the pages. 

"Why didn't you let us know that we were literally counting down the days?" Dean asked, eyeing the news articles on the desk in front of him.

"Weren't you listening?" Bobby snapped, pausing for a moment as the other man looked up. "I'm in the middle of a damn dead zone."

"How long do we have left?" Sam started, getting the veteran hunter's attention away from his older brother. 

"Less than a week." Bobby quietly replied. "Five days at the most." He paused for a moment as he let out a sigh. "As far as I can tell, both sides seem to be bolstering their army one town at a time; they're getting ready... Those demons and angels are going to kill each other because that's the orders they were given. Don't get me wrong I don't give a shit about either side, but it's going to be a massacre for both of them and we're the ones caught in the middle."

"That's on them." Dean was quick to reply. "If they want to die for whatever line the boss told them, that's up to them." There was a moment of silence as he took a sip of his beer, his eyes drifting over to his brother nearby. "But we're going to make sure they don't take mankind down with them."

Bobby watched as the boys exchanged a quick glance. "What exactly are you two going to do?" He asked, his voice pulling Dean's attention away from his younger brother.

"We're going to get the two heavy hitters out of the way." Dean replied simply. 

"That plan's a little ambitious, don't you think?" Bobby started as he leaned back in his chair. "How do you suppose you're going to even get close enough to Michael or Lucifer? They have army's fighting, heck, DYING for them, not to mention they're both angels powerful enough to..."

"Angels or Demons, we're going to kill whatever gets in our way." Dean replied frankly, cutting the other man short.

"You two really are going to be going down swinging, aren't you?" Bobby started, catching Dean's eyes for only a moment before the other man turned away. 

"What choice do we have?" Sam quietly replied. "It's us against them, all of them."

"And we're not going to just sit around and wait for the world to end." Dean added, grabbing his duffle bag and tossing it over his shoulder. "I'm going to head down to the panic room and start engraving the rest of our arsenal." He announced before disappearing down the hall.

Bobby couldn't help but swallow hard as he listened to the other man's footsteps head down the hall. "This plan of yours, I don't like it." He said quietly, turning to face Sam as the storm continued to grumble overhead. "Going after the boss?"

"I don't like it either." Sam admitted, setting the book down on the desk in front of him. "But it's the best we've got and it does make sense."

"We're talking about the Devil and Heaven's badass here..." Bobby said, stating the obvious. "They're both ruthless, doesn't matter which way you look at it."

"I know, but if you really think about it, we technically only need to get one of them out of the way." Sam started. "Whether it's Michael or Lucifer, if we can take down one side, the Apocalypse will be over."

"Then what?" Bobby asked. "Getting rid of the boss wont stop the angels and demons from fighting each other... Who ever is left standing is still going to..."

"We'll jump that bridge when and if we get to it." Sam started, catching the older man's eyes. "If we have to kill them off one by one until they turn away, we're going to do it."

"You two are crazy, you know that?" Bobby replied, letting out a sigh as he grabbed his bottle of beer from the desk in front of him. "But I trust you and if this is the way you want do to it, I'll be right there behind ya." Though he offered the younger man a smile, the only thing he could really think of was the crushing weight on their shoulders. "You go through the maps and see if you can make out a pattern or something; I marked down what towns were infested with what. I'll go give Dean a hand getting the weapons ready."

"Thanks Bobby..." Sam replied, watching as the older man turned to leave. He let out a sigh as he walked over to the cluttered desk and started sorting through the many maps and notes. Red circles marked the towns believed to have a demonic presence while black ones marked those thought to be overrun by angels. The more papers he sorted through, the more patterns started to appear. In the towns that had been marked with both, devastation of some kind was being blamed for the countless deaths. From flash floods to unpredictable twisters, the angels and demons at war left nothing but destruction, confusion and chaos behind them. The question was, who got there first.

Though the room was silent, it was filled with the constant rumble of the storm outside, a lightning storm Bobby said had arrived the same night most of Scythe and it's entire population had been wiped clean off the map. When he heard the footsteps on the hard wood floor behind him, he grabbed the map he had been looking at. "Hey Dean, I think we..." Sam trailed off as he turned around, his eyes meeting those of the angels that had suddenly appeared. "Castiel..." He managed, his momentary sense of relief vanishing when he took noticed of the two rather large men standing there at the angel's side. When his eyes focused on the sharp blade in their tight grip, Gabriel's words about Zachariah recruiting fallen angels circled the back of his head. Knowing that there was a reason Castiel hadn't come alone, he took a few steps back towards the door and reached for the gun that was tucked into his belt. "Cas, what are you doing here?" He asked simply, eyeing the trio that were standing there in front of him.

As Dean turned the corner to join his brother in the living room, he caught Castiel's eyes and his heart hit the bottom of his stomach. "Cas..." He started, oblivious to the situation as he brushed past Sam and started to make his way over to the angel he had all but given up for dead. When Sam reached out to grab him by the shoulder, he stopped in his tracks; his gaze first drifting down to the sharp blade in Castiel's grip before noticing the gun tucked in his younger brother's hand. "Sammy, what's going on?" He quietly asked, forced to take a step back as the younger man pulled him to his side. 

"What, are you doing here?" Sam asked again, his eyes never leaving the angels.

"I just came here to talk." Castiel replied simply, his gaze drifting from one man to the other.

"If that was the case then you would have come alone and you wouldn't have waited three weeks." Sam was quick to reply, keeping a firm grip on the gun in his hand. "Why are you really here?"

Dean swallowed hard as he tried to keep his mind from drifting back to the last time he'd seen Castiel. Though he was standing there in front of them now, something was wrong. "Cas are you alright?" He asked quietly, eyeing the two men standing on either side. "Last time I saw you, Zachariah had..."

"I'm fine." Castiel cut in, his monotone voice doing little to convince anyone. "I'm here because I have a proposition for you." He continued, his hard gaze settling on Sam. "If you join Heaven in the finale battle, not as vessels, but as warriors, you will be spared the carnage."

"We're trying to stop it, Cas... Not join it." Sam snapped.

"You don't seem to understand." Castiel calmly replied. He took a step forward but froze as Sam raised the gun up from his side with one hand and pushed Dean behind him with the other. "I know what you two have in mind, but it's too late to stop this." He paused for only a moment as he let his gaze drift over the younger man's shoulder to catch Dean's eyes. "This isn't about winning anymore for you two, this is about surviving. The angels are willing to give you a chance... if you want to survive this, then I suggest you come back with me; fight with us."

"Cas, I don't know what Zachariah told you, but it's a load of crap and you know it." Dean started, feeling the tension in the room rise as the angels refused to step down. "The son of a bitch manipulated you before and this is probably no different. A full pardon or a free pass, whatever it is he promised you..." 

"This is simple." Castiel cut in, instantly silencing the other man. "The only way you're going to survive this war is if you come back with me..."

"We're not going anywhere." Sam said, pulling the angel's eyes away from his older brother.

"You should consider this a favor.." Castiel continued.

"The answer's No, Cas." Dean was quick to reply, his stern tone of voice leaving nothing to doubt.

The silence that filled the room was now much louder than the storm raging outside. For a moment the angels stood still, their hands still clenching their weapon of choice while Sam & Dean stood only a few feet away; Sam keeping himself and his gun between the trio and his older brother... the only thing he and Castiel seem to have in common. 

"I'm sorry to say this." Castiel suddenly started, his voice dropping almost eerily. "But if you're not with us then you're against us." He declared, taking a quick glance to the angel on his right. 

When that angel took a step towards them, Sam didn't hesitate pulling the trigger. Before the sound of the shot disappeared and the angel hit the floor, he loaded the gun a second time and shot dead the angel standing to Castiel's left. "NO, Cas." Sam growled, standing his ground as he watched the angel's eyes drift down to his accomplices, their wings scorched across the hardwood floor between them.

When Castiel looked back up, his eyes focused on the gun in the other man's tight grip. "How did..."

"We had a little help." Sam cut in.

"Gabriel." The angel muttered, eyeing the barrel of the gun pointed towards him.

"Cas, what did Zachariah tell you?" Dean quietly started, pulling the angel's attention away from his younger brother. "Gabe said something about the son of a bitch recruiting fallen angels... Is that what he did to you?"

There was another moment of silence and Castiel let out a heavy sigh. "If I can convince you to join us, what I've done, all of it, will be forgiven... I'll be a true angel again, I wont be hunted anymore."

"You know that's not going to happen, right?" Sam was quick to reply. "The angels are the ones that let this get out of hand... they're the ones that wanted all of this. Sorry, but we're not going to join them."

"If the angels can't have you, they're going to make sure that no one else can." Castiel quietly started. "Fighting for Heaven is the only chance you have at surviving this..."

"Cas, if this is how we die, we're going to die doing what we think is right... And I think you should too." Dean paused for only a moment as he caught the angel's blue eyes. "You know this is wrong , you helped us once and..."

"And look how that turned out." Castiel cut in, instantly silencing the other man. "They're giving me a second chance..."

"But at what cost, Cas?" Dean asked, his words almost lost in a clap of thunder. "This is a trap, it's gotta be... Whether we go or we stay, we're dead... You included."

"I'm doing this for you and I'm not leaving alone." The angel growled.

When Castiel took a step forward, Sam loaded the gun in his firm grip. "Don't make me do this, Cas." He said, his tone of voice stopping the angel in his tracks. "The last thing I want to do right now is shoot you dead but if I have to, I swear I will."

Dean closed his eyes for a moment, the sound of his brother loading the gun still echoing in his head. He swallowed hard. "Cas, I can see how much you want this..." He started softly. "But I think Zachariah's just using you." He paused as he watched Castiel's eyes narrow. "With or without us, if you go back to them, they're going to kill you."

"Dean's right." Sam started, getting the angel's attention. 

"Cas I am begging you, here. Please, just stay with us..." 

"You two are to blame for all of this and you've already failed me once" Castiel started, turning the blade in his hand as his eyes met Dean's. "I think I'll take my chances with Heaven."

Before either men could say another word, the angel was gone. "Damn it, Cas." Dean growled, his eyes locking on where the angel had been standing only moments ago.


	4. Learn to lose, it's easier that way...

  
Bobby watched from the doorway as Sam and Dean went about cleaning and inspecting their weapons. The atmosphere was somber and the silence they shared did little to lift the mood. The dinning room table in front them was cluttered with an array of guns; each and every one of them now sporting a Pentagram on one side and a Sigil on the other. Though their encounter with the angels had proven that the Sigil could in fact kill, neither were celebrating the small victory. It was almost as if seeing Castiel choose to side with Heaven had put it all in perspective, they really were on their own, more or less throwing themselves on the front lines of a war not meant for them to fight as anything but vessels. "It’s not your fault, you do know that don’t you?" Bobby quietly started, pausing for only a moment as the other man looked up from across the table to catch his eyes. Trying to find the right words was always a struggle, especially when it came to John Winchester’s oldest son. "He’s an angel, it’s all he’s ever known and if they’re willing to give him a second chance, he’s going to take it."

"I know that." Dean replied frankly as he placed his shotgun down and moved on to the next one. "I just thought he was on our side." He swallowed hard as his mind drifted back to the moment Castiel had rebelled, the moment the angel had chosen to fight for the good of mankind. It all seemed so far away now. "If he wants to fight for them, that’s his choice." Dean grumbled, passing a finger over the Sigil engraved on the barrel of a gun. "But he knows where we stand and he can't say that we didn't give him fair warning."

Sam watched as his older brother continued cleaning his gun, doing what he could to hide the feeling of betrayal. This wasn’t the last they’d seen of Castiel and if the angel really was given a second chance, the next time they would meet, it would no doubt be on the battle field. Just the thought of Dean having to face off against Castiel made Sam’s heart ache, his older brother had few people to consider friends and through the past two years, the angel who'd pulled him from Hell had been one of them. The clap of thunder that pulled him from his thoughts made the house shake around them. "I think this lightning storm is getting worse." Sam muttered as he picked up another one of his many guns.

"Yeah, get ready for a sleepless night." Bobby replied, watching as the brothers continued with their task. "You boys look like you’re getting ready to take on the world." He started softly, a nervous smile to the corner of his lips as he finally stepped foot into the room. "So what exactly is the game plan, boys?" He asked simply, pulling up a chair and taking a seat at the table. "We’ve got a few days, where do we start?"

"We’re hitting the road come sun up." Sam replied, catching the older man’s eyes for only a moment before focusing on the gun in his hands. "We’ll head West and make a stop in all those towns you circled, see who’s left where and what side they’re on..."

There was a moment of silence as Bobby eyed the gun in the young hunters hands. "So you boys are just going to start driving?" He asked, watching as Sam gave him a nod. "That’s a lot of ground to cover considering you’ve got FIVE DAYS at the most to do it and this is worldwide chaos we’re talking about."

"Yeah well, we can’t be everywhere at once and we’ve gotta start somewhere." Dean replied quietly, looking through the barrel of his gun before locking it in place.

"You two have had some pretty stupid ideas in the past, but this one, this one tops them all." Bobby started, letting out a frustrated sigh as the brothers continued to clean and tend to their weapons. "You want to drive the country killing anything and everything that gets in your way, all on a mission to find and kill two of the most powerful angels in..."

"If you’ve got any better ideas, we’re all ears." Dean growled, his words instantly silencing the other man. "Trust me, Sammy & I, we know how crazy this plan is, but it’s the only one we’ve got." He paused for only a moment as he caught the older man’s eyes. "We’re not stupid, Bobby... Anyone can see that this plan is more than likely not going to work but what else are we going to do?’

"Dean..." Sam silenced as his older brother took a quick glance in his direction. Though he knew his brother was right and that their kill one, kill ‘em all approach was almost certainly doomed from the start, he didn’t need to hear it and he knew that the veteran hunter didn’t either.

"This is a suicide mission." Bobby growled, watching as Sam let out a sight and Dean looked away. "You two have no intention of surviving this, do you?"

"If we can’t win this." Dean continued, his tone of voice as bitter as his words. "Then we’re going to take as many of them down with us as we possibly can. Angels or Demons, I don't care anymore."

There was a moment of silence as Dean held Bobby’s eyes, the simple gaze putting the point across that they knew what they were doing and what they were up against. Time was running out and there was no other plan. "Fine. what do you want me to do?" Bobby asked, leaning back in his chair as he watched Dean go back to cleaning the gun in his hands.

"You’re going to stay right here and set up a few two-way radios, get in touch with every hunter you can find." Dean replied.

"Like Hell I am!" Bobby snarled, his eyes instantly narrowing on the man sitting across from him. "I'm not sitting around here while you two go off to crisscross the country on a suicide mission."

"Yeah, Bobby, you are." Dean was quick to reply, giving the other man no chance to protest any further. "We need a home base and this is going to be it. You said you could pick up a frequency through all this haze, then send a broadcast out so other hunters know what to do. Keep mapping out this path of destruction so we know what town is going to get hit next... If we’re lucky we’ll catch up to the sons of bitches."

Bobby let out a sigh as he readjusted his hat. "Alright, fine..." He said simply, knowing that arguing with the boys when their minds were set was pointless. "Where are you going?" He continued, watching as Dean got up from his seat and grabbed the car keys from the desk nearby.

"Double check the trunk." The other man replied simply. "I want to make sure we didn’t forget any weapons..."

Bobby watched as the oldest of the two made his way towards the back of the house, the screen door slamming shut behind him as he stepped out into the night. "I think it was easier when he thought Cas was dead..." He whispered, turning slightly to catch Sam’s eyes.

"It was." Sam replied quietly, swallowing the lump caught in the back of his throat.   
 

* * *

  
Dean took a glance around the darkened scrap yard as he stepped off the back porch and started to make his way towards the Impala. Tomorrow he and his brother would hit the road like they always did, the only difference, was that they weren’t coming back. It was a bleak outlook but it was the cold hard truth and try as they might, he knew they didn’t stand a chance. He sucked in a ragged breath as he thought of the look on Bobby’s face when the older man realized their true intentions... it was heartbreaking, but it wasn't going to stop them. "Kill one, kill ‘em all... at any cost." He whispered to himself as he approached the Impala and made his way to the trunk, those haunting words behind the mission he and his brother were on. As he reached over to slide the key into the lock, he couldn’t help but pause, his eyes catching a shadow move along the scrap pile nearby. He swallowed hard, his hand reaching for the gun tucked into the back of his belt as lightning lit up the night sky. Though he could see no one there, instinct kicked in and he just knew that he wasn’t alone. Through the sound of the thunder roll, he listened intently, his eyes scanning heaps of twisted, rusted metal for anything moving in the darkness.

When the sound of glass snapping under someone’s feet caught his attention, he raised his gun and turned on the spot; his grip on the weapon tightening as he came face to face with nothing at all. There was more than one of them, he was now sure of it. Eyeing the light of Bobby’s back porch he quickly wagered his options, but when he caught a glimpse of a woman standing there behind him in the reflection of the Impala’s rear window, he knew he was on his own. He ducked to avoid the large blade in her hand but wasn’t quite fast enough to dodge a punch to the face and a kick to the stomach. The force of the impact sent him hard into the car’s rear bumper, bringing him to his knees for only a moment as he tried to catch his breath. When she passed the blade from one hand to the other, he loaded his gun and shot her dead before she could take another swing. Without a pause, he reloaded the gun and shot dead another angel that had suddenly appeared in front of him. When his eyes caught a shadow moving along a row of wrecked cars to his right, he loaded the gun again and pulled himself up, swearing under his breath as he watched the figure move along the darkness. Taking aim, he waited for a clear shot and when the man stepped out into the open, he pulled the trigger a third time.

Keeping his back to the car, he made his way towards the front of it, his eyes still carefully scanning the darkness around him. As lightning once again lit up the scrap yard, the situation he was in came into sharp focus; this was an ambush and with the storm raging over head, Bobby and Sam wouldn’t hear the gunshots echo in the night. He swore under his breath as he shot dead a tall man to his left and without missing a beat, turned on the spot to shoot dead a pair of angels approaching from his right. "Zachariah you son of a bitch, I know you’re out here!" He shouted, pausing as his voice echoed in the storm’s momentary lull. "If you want a piece of me you son of a bitch than come get it yourself!" He had barely finished his sentence when another angel suddenly appeared at his side. He took a punch to the face before landing a kick. It wasn’t much, but it put enough distance between them for him to pull the trigger.

There was a moment of silence and as he studied the scrap yard, the thought of it crawling with angels made him swallow hard. Taking his chances, he turned to make his way back towards Bobby’s house but came face to face with Zachariah instead. Without a second thought or hesitation, he pulled the trigger. When nothing happened and the angel’s grin grew, he swore under his breath.

"Should have loaded a second clip, huh?" Zachariah started catching Dean’s eyes for only a moment before focusing on the carnage surrounding the Impala. "I heard you had a new trick up your sleeve." He continued, pointing to the gun in the hunter’s tight grip. "So I sent in a few decoys."

"You self centered, heartless, dick." Dean hissed, his eyes catching those of the angel in front of him. "Do they mean anything at all to you?"

"This is war, besides we can afford a few casualties." Zachariah calmly replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he watched the other man place the gun down on the hood of the car behind him. "I needed a word with you, so I sent a few angels in to clear the way... No big deal, it worked rather well if I do say so myself."

"How many times am I going to have to put it through that thick skull of yours that the answer is no." Dean growled, his eyes narrowing as his hands clenched into fists.

"I have an offer for you."

Those words made his blood boil as he thought of his encounter with Castiel earlier that night. "I know why you’re here, but whatever lies you told Cas to get him back on your side, aren’t going to work on me." He was quick to reply pausing for only a moment as the roll of thunder echoed in the night. "There is nothing, NOTHING you can offer me that will make me fight for Heaven, you understand me?"

"You sure?" Zachariah started, eyeing the young hunter. "Because I brought someone with me that I wanted you to meet."

When another angel stepped out from behind Zachariah, Dean couldn’t help but shake his head. "Wow, someone sure beat you with one hell of an ugly stick." He commented, watching as the tall, lanky man studied him carefully.

"Pickings were slim in Scythe..." Michael replied without hesitation. "And beggars can't be choosers in a city of faithless."

"Did you and your entourage really have to wipe it off the map?" Dean continued. "The pie there was Heavenly..."

"Let’s can the small talk for now, shall we?" Zachariah interrupted, getting the other man’s attention away from the Archangel at his side. "Dean, we both know your plan to stop the Apocalypse isn't going to work... it can't be stopped, not now that Lucifer walks free."

"It can too be stopped." Dean was quick to reply. "Never mind confronting him, call back your damn warriors and go back where you came from... Let Sam and I worry about Lucifer and his demons, you guys have already done more than enough damage already."

"Dean you're just as much to blame as we are for all of this." Zachariah calmly started.

"I may have broken the first seal but you assholes are the ones that let it get out of hand..." The young hunter was quick to growl. "If you righteous bastards fight Lucifer, you’re going to kill half the people here.... Half the people here are going to DIE because you LET those seals break."

"And you see a problem with that?" Michael replied softly, his gaze drifting down to the bodies scattered around the Impala. "You were all well on your way to destroying yourselves, we just needed a reason to speed up the process and thin out the crowd. We even got those pesky Horsemen out of the way so that we could do this our way."

"Wait, what?" There was a moment of silence as Dean's eyes drifted from one angel to the other, the severity of it all coming into sharp focus as a sudden, twisted thought trickled into the back of his mind. "You killed the Horsemen so that you could do it your way? You two are sicker than I thought." He started, barely able to keep his anger at bay.  
  
"I like to think of it as a controlled burn." Michael continued coolly. "When all of this is over and done, when Lucifer is back in Hell; order will be restored and we'll have paradise right here on earth. Not everyone will perish, there will be survivors."

"You have no right to choose who gets to live or die." Dean continued, his eyes narrowing on the pair standing there in front of him.

"Yes I do." Michael replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Haven’t you read the good book? I’m the one that decides who goes to Heaven and who goes to Hell."  
  
"You’re not supposed to be the one responsible for the deaths!"

"Look around at your fellow man, Dean... not all of them are worth saving." Zachariah started, his tone of voice cold.

"THEY ARE TO ME!" The young hunter snarled. "AND I WON'T SIT BACK AND WATCH YOU ASSHOLES USE THE APOCALYPSE AS AN EXCUSE TO WIPE US OFF THE MAP!"

"Dean if you and Sam insist on doing this your way, you’ll just end up being one of the many that don’t survive." Michael started softly, watching as the young hunter's hard gaze drifted across the scrap yard to Bobby's house in the distance. "Lucifer still needs to be sent back to Hell and you're as determined as we are to get it done. So join us and fight for Heaven, all will be forgiven and you'll be granted the peace you've spent your entire life trying to find."

"The answer’s still no." Dean growled. "The only reason you did all of this, was to justify killing us off."

"Perhaps." Michael continued. "But the outcome will be in your favor if you fight with us, you’ll be among those that survive."

"NO." Dean repeated, his voice rising as the anger continued to surface. "You guys are no better than all the things I've spent my life hunting and when I'm done with Lucifer, I'll be coming after you."

"Just think about it, Dean." Zachariah went on "If you fight for us..."

"If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you two were getting desperate." Dean interrupted, instantly silencing the angel in front of him. He paused for only a moment and when Zachariah looked away, a chill went down his spine. "That’s it, isn’t it?" He asked, his eyes catching Michael's. "You're in over your heads and now you don't think you can do this without me... you NEED me, don’t you?" He continued, his heart skipping a beat as he watched Zachariah's eyes reluctantly drift back up to meet his gaze. "You staged a fight thinking this would be easy, that I would just say yes and make you guys look like heroes to those you do spare when you send old Lucifer back to Hell..." The lack of a reply and the look on their faces told him all he needed to know; he had just hit the nail on the head and the fact that he was needed was the one and only reason he was still alive. They needed him and they were doing everything they could to get him on their side; that's why they had sent Castiel to try and coax him. He grabbed his gun from the hood of the car as he offered the pair a suave smile. "Well if that is the case..." He said softly. "Then you guys are screwed."

"Dean, you don't understand, if Lucifer wins, he'll raise his demons..."

"And if you guys win, you'll call down your angel buddies to finish us off." Dean started, cutting Michael short. "If they're anything like you two, then I don't see that as being any better." He continued as he turned to make his way back towards Bobby's house. "You'll be seeing me on the battle field boys, make no mistake of that... but I won't be on your side."

"You’ll die before this over." Zachariah proclaimed, watching as the other man turned slightly to catch his eyes. "If you don't join us."

Dean paused in his steps for only a moment as he studied the pair. The intimidation had been replaced with desperation and now that pleading with him hadn't worked, they were turning to threats. "Try telling me something I don't know for once." He said as he tucked his gun away and continued to make his way towards the house.

"Something you don't know?" Zachariah was quick to reply. "How about this; John Winchester isn’t your father..."


	5. I am not my Father's son...

Those words made Dean stop dead in his tracks. Though he knew they were getting desperate, sinking so low as to lying about his family was one punch to the gut he hadn't been expecting. It was also one he wouldn't just stand there and take. "What did you just say?" He asked, turning to face Zachariah who was now standing alone.

"I said John Winchester isn’t your father... hate to break it to you, but there's not a drop of anything Winchester in you." The angel replied, a slight grin emerging from the corner of his lips as he caught the other man’s eyes. "That’s something you didn’t know... Am I right?" He asked, once again crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"You desperate, bastard." Dean spat, his blood boiling at just the thought of how far the angel was willing to go.

"You think I’m lying, but I’m not." Zachariah calmly replied, thunder eerily following his words. "Come on Dean, you’re a smart kid, don’t tell me you never noticed just how much more John seem to worry about Sam than he did about you. They didn’t get along but he favored Sam and deep down, you’ve always known it. It was always about Sam and now you know why.... It’s because Sam’s his flesh & blood and you aren’t."

"Stop it Zachariah." Dean started, swallowing hard as his hands once again clenched into fists. The one thing he hated the most of the angel standing there in front him, was how fast his mood changed. He was a manipulative jerk regardless, but the blink of an eye could see him go from one end of the scale to the other. Now it was almost as if someone had flipped a switch; the desperation in his voice was gone and he was done pleading, begging and trying to convince him... now he was trying to either push him or break him.

"The man kept a lot of secrets from you, this one’s no different it’s just a hard one to swallow." The angel continued.

"I said stop it." Dean repeated, doing what he could to keep his anger in check and his heart from beating right out of his chest.

"Here’s something else I bet you didn’t know..." Zachariah started, ignoring the young hunter's demand. "You were a constant reminder that he failed as a father and husband because every time he looked at you, all he saw in your eyes was Mary and the family he couldn’t protect."

"Now you’re just trying to screw with me 'cause that’s the kind of son of a bitch you are." Dean growled, trying to keep his voice from wavering.

"Oh I’m not screwing around with you, Dean. Since I can’t convince you to join us, I just thought you should know the truth; who you really are and why you should be fighting alongside us."

"I know who am I." He growled, swallowing the lump that was caught in his throat.

Zachariah shook his head. "No you don't." He said simply. "Because if you did, you'd understand why Michael needs you as a vessel... he's not the only thing that ties you to Heaven you know." Zachariah paused for only a moment as he held the young hunter's eye. "Before God moved on to his next project, he made sure all of you were well set to be on your own for years to come. He prepared mankind for trouble that would eventually come to light and found ways to prevent those events from ever taking place."

"Is there a point to this?" Dean hissed, his eyes narrowing.

"You my boy, were a fail-safe that failed..."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Dean was quick to reply, leaving little time for the angel's words to really sink in.

"God couldn’t stop what Azazel was going to do to your brother, so he did the next best thing and created you. His very own little human/angel hybrid, placed here on earth to prevent a future of untold horror. You're one a kind, Dean... A Guardian Angel in the flesh and blood. You had one purpose in life and one purpose only, to keep your brother out of Azazel’s hands and by doing so, keeping him out of Lucifer’s reach... If for some unforeseen reason you failed, you were to be Michael’s vessel in the finale battle, which is where we stand right now." Zachariah paused for only a moment as he watched the hunter’s eyes hit the ground by his feet. "Think about it Dean, why do you really think John gave his life for you? It’s not because the man loved you, it’s because he knew you had a job to do. The fate of mankind was counting on you and you blew it; you couldn't keep Sam from following that dark road... So now it’s time for plan B and Michael needs a vessel he can really work with."

Cut to the core, those words burned him alive. There was a truth to what the angel had just told him and try as he might, he couldn’t shake that feeling. The pieces were falling into place and all of the little things he chose to ignore in the past were now coming back to him under a microscope. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the thunder overhead rip through him like the lightning that tore at a once peaceful sky. "I don't care who you say I am. This was your fault, you guys are the ones that let this happen."

"Oh this isn't on us." Zachariah started, his words being the weapon of choice to finally break the other man. "You were the one that brought Azazel right to Sam's front door the night you went to find him at Stanford... Granted, we may have taken advantage of the situation once you did fail, but we played by the rules and let you chose your own path... just as God would have wanted. This is on your shoulders, not ours." Zachariah paused again as lightning lit up the night sky "You still don’t believe me?" He continued, pulling Dean out of his restless thoughts. "There's an old garage at the edge of the scrap yard over there, inside you'll find another Impala John kept for spare parts. He might be gone, but his crap certainly isn't... take a look in the trunk, he not only kept his resherch, but he kept all of your mother's hunting journals as well."

"I trust you just as far as I can throw you and by the looks of it, that ain’t very far." Dean replied, his tone of voice low. "How am I suppose to know that you didn’t just set all of this up in one last, pathetic attempt to get me on your side... Sam wasn’t Azazel’s only one, any one of his special kids could have gone down the same..."

"Sam may not have been Azazel’s only one, but God knew that he was going to be THE one; so he put you together and considered it a future problem solved." Zachariah cut in, holding the young hunters eyes as he watched the other man try to keep his composure.

"If all this is true, if I am actually an angel." Dean continued, his words catching in the back of his throat. "Then how come I was able to work all those Sigils in blood without zapping myself back up to Heaven."

"Because you don't belong in Heaven, Dean... and you never will." Zachariah replied coldly "Most of those tricks only work on thoroughbred anyway." He paused for only a moment as he offered a crooked smile. "Still don't believe me, do you?" He asked as he let out a chuckle. "I know, why don’t you go ask Bobby bout it then? He knows you're not John's kid. Better yet, ask your new disgraced archangel buddy Gabriel... He’s the one that convinced your mother to carry a child that was never conceived and he's the one that failed to keep you on the straight and narrow path your were meant to follow."

* * *

 

Sam eyed the clock on the wall before turning to take a glance out the window. "Dean’s been out there for a while." He started, his eyes scanning the scrap yard in the momentary light of a lightning strike. "I think I'll go see what..." He trailed off as the back door opened and the sound of heavy footsteps filled the hall, making their way over to the living room.

"Is it true?" Dean asked, his tone of voice demanding the attention from all as he entered the room.

When Bobby turned to face the hunter, he swore under his breath, his eyes instantly focusing on the tattered book tucked firmly in Dean’s left hand. He knew exactly what the oldest Winchester was asking and he had dreaded that very moment for years. "Where did you get that?" He asked quietly, swallowing the lump caught in throat as he eyed John's very first hunting journal, something he hadn't seen in over twenty years.

"In the trunk of a scrapped Impala, where do you think?" Dean was quick to reply. "Is it true, Bobby?" He repeated leaning over to let the journal fall on the desk in front of the veteran hunter. There was a moment of silence as the sound of the tattered book hitting the hardwood desk resonated in the quiet room, the dust that lifted from its torn pages almost as thick as the tension in the air. "Is John Winchester not my father?"

Bobby could do nothing more than offer a nod, his gaze set on the old book instead of the man towering over the desk in front of him. "Yeah it’s true." He whispered, his words almost lost in the silence between them.

Sam didn’t know what to say as he watched his older brother pass a hand over his face, his expression alone telling him all he needed to know about Dean’s volatile state. "Dean, what’s going on?" He asked softly, his voice pulling the other man’s attention away from the veteran hunter for only a moment.

"How long have you known?" Dean continued, ignoring his younger brother’s question as he eyed Bobby from across the cluttered desk. When Bobby refused to look up at him, he pushed a pile of books and papers to the floor to get his attention. "HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN!?" He shouted, pulling the other man’s eyes away from the journal.

"He told me about it a few years after your mother died... You must have been only six or seven." Bobby replied, sucking in a breath as he watched Dean start to pace. "Look, I..."

"When exactly were you planning on telling me!?!" Dean barked, cutting the other man short. "Bad enough I had to learn it from Zachariah, we’re counting down the days to the end of the world here!"

"I was never going to tell you!" Bobby shouted, watching as Dean came to a sudden stop in front of him. "End of days or not, I’m a man of my word and your Dad made me promise not to say a damn word about it." He paused for a moment as he took a deep breath, emotions running high as he thought of his late friend and what lengths he’d taken to keep his boys safe. "Look, I begged him to tell ya, years ago. But you knowing, was the last thing he wanted. He may not have been your father but he loved you just the same."

"What makes you so sure." Dean curtly replied. "You didn't know the man like I did, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'VE HAD TO LIVE WITH!" He paused for a moment, still unable to come to grips with the truth that had more of less hit him square in the face. "How could he not tell me? How could he have kept this from me all those years!"

"Because he knew it would upset you, boy." Bobby reasoned, trying to calm the other man. "He thought it best for you not to know."

There was a moment of silence as Dean watched the veteran hunter’s eyes once again wander away from his piercing stare. "Have you actually read this?" He asked, pointing down to the journal on the desk in front of him. "Do you know who I am, what I’m supposed to be and why?" When Bobby shook his head, Dean didn’t hesitate. "I’m a Guardian Angel, Bobby..." He started, his words instantly pulling the other man’s eyes back up to his stare. "A damn angel born to Mary Winchester to counteract the deal she made with the Yellow Eyed Demon!" He paused for only a moment as he swallowed hard, knowing his little brother had just as many questions. "You should read through this." He said, sliding the journal across the desk. "Might shed some light on why Michael wanted me as a vessel."

When Sam caught his older brother’s eyes, he knew Dean had just been cut to the core. The Apocalypse was underway, Castiel was gone and now he’d just found out that the father he looked up to and spent his life trying to please, wasn’t his father at all. When Dean turned to leave, Sam followed him down the hall. "Dean." He called out, watching as the other man disappeared out the back door. "DEAN!" He called again, getting no response as he watched his older brother wander into the scrap yard. When the Impala roared to life and the headlights pierced the darkness, Sam swore under his breath; watching helplessly as his brother forced the car out of the scrap yard and onto the road. When the tail lights disappeared over a hill, he turned and headed back inside; Bobby barely acknowledging him as he stepped into the living room. "Dean took off." He announced, letting out a sigh as he started to pace. "Did you hear me?" He asked, coming to a stop as he turned to face the older man. "He's gone!"

Bobby didn't say a word as he slid the small note across the desk towards Sam. "This was tucked between the pages..."

Sam eyed the note for a moment before grabbing it from the desk and turning it over to look at it. _*Tell Sammy that I'm sorry*_ He swore under his breath as he let the note fall back down on the desk in front of him. "We've got to do something." He started, passing a hand through hair. "Before he says yes to Michael and does something we'll all regret."

"I don't think there's anything we can do..." Bobby quietly replied, his eyes once again glued to John's first journal. When Sam headed for the door, he looked up just in time to see him grab the keys to his old Chevelle off a hook on the wall. "Where are you going?" He asked, getting up from his seat and following the younger man down the hall and out the back door.

"Where do you think?" Sam growled as he slid in behind the wheel. "I'm going after him."

* * *

 

The Impala's engine roared under Dean's heavy foot as the car devoured the dark road ahead. His grip on the steering wheel tightened as his mind raced; it was true, all of it was true. If he had only known then what he knew now, he would have never dragged Sam back into the life of a hunter, right back where Azazel had wanted him. The more he thought about it, the more he seemed to remember. It was the small things, like how John would never ask about him but always about Sam. Taking care of Sam was always his responsibility, the one and only thing that gave him a true sense of purpose growing up. This was on him, all of it was because John had made it quite clear that if Sam couldn't be saved, he would have to be killed. Now that he understood why, those words haunted him. When Gabriel suddenly appeared in the road ahead, he slammed on the brakes, bringing the Impala to a screeching halt. He contemplated just hitting the gas but put the shifter in park instead and stepped out of the car, his hands clenching into fists. "You son of a bitch." He growled, eyeing the archangel standing like a deer caught in the headlights of his car. "Why didn't you tell me!" He shouted, the sound of the idling engine filling the silence.

"It wasn't my place." Gabriel simply replied. "Those were my orders, Dean.... back when I worked for the man and God still cared what happened here on earth." When the other man reached for the gun that was tucked into the back of his belt, Gabriel took a step back. "C'mon on, I know you're angry but..."

"Angry? When you find out that your life's been a lie and that you’re as much a brother to Sam as you are to a dick like Zachariah, angry doesn't quite cut it, you know?" Dean started, his threatening tone of voice cutting into the archangel's sentence. "If God gave a rat's ass what happened here on earth, he would have found a way to stop Mary from dealing with Azazel in the first place... He would have done something to make sure that we don't get to where we are..."

"HE DID DO SOMETHING!" Gabriel suddenly shouted, taking a step forward as the other man loaded the gun in his hands. "HE MADE YOU!" He paused for only a moment as he let out a sigh. "Don't you get it, Dean? YOU were the one that was supposed to stop all of this... It was a good plan and it would have worked if you hadn't traded your life to bring Sam back." Gabriel hesitated as he eyed the barrel of the gun in the angry hunter's grip. "He just didn't realize how far you would go to make sure your brother was safe... you cared about him more than you did about yourself and that is the ONE thing my Father didn't anticipate."

"When did you decide that you wanted out, Gabriel?" Dean asked, his tone of voice low. "Zachariah told me that you were the one that was supposed to watch over me, make sure I made all the right choices, so tell me, when did you decide to cut your losses... To turn and run?"

Gabriel couldn't help but swallow hard. "November 2, 1985" He replied simply, closing his eyes for a moment as he thought of his past as an Archangel. "The night your mother died was the night I realized that it couldn't be stopped, that no matter what, it would all come down the Apocalypse. When you held onto your brother, I just knew that you would never let him go... you held on too tight and when he wanted out you pulled him back him, when he died, you brought him back. You just couldn't let the cards fall where they may."

"He's my brother." Dean growled.

"He was Hell's #1 weapon and you kept throwing him right back in front of them." Gabriel quietly replied. "Dean, when you really love someone, I mean REALLY love someone, sometimes the best thing you can do for them is just let them go..."

When the sound of a racing car engine drifted over the country hills, Dean looked over his shoulder at the road behind him. When he turned his attention back to the archangel in front of him, he swore under his breath. Gabriel was gone. Tucking the gun away, he made his way back to the car and climbed in behind the wheel. Watching in the rearview mirror as the headlights of Bobby's car came into view, he hastily pulled away, leaving rubber on the road behind him. He was in no mood to talk, he had other plans and his mind was set.

Sam swore under his breath as the Impala's tail lights turned a corner and disappeared into the night. "Damn it Dean." He growled, putting the pedal to the floor in an attempt to catch up.

When the headlights bounced off his mirrors, Dean took a quick glance down at his gauges. The Impala was fast but it was no match for the Chevelle that was coming up behind him like a bat out of hell. Before he knew it, Sam crossed the center line and pulled up alongside him. The last thing he was expecting, was to be forced off the road but when the other car started drifting towards him, he swore to himself. As the Chevelle came within inches of his driver's door, Dean took the gravel shoulder and slid to stop; Sam pulling off the road just ahead of him. Anger still building, he stepped out of the Impala and slammed the door shut, his younger brother doing the same.

"WHAT THE HELL DEAN!" Sam shouted, walking towards the other man. "You're upset, I get that, but taking off isn't going to solve a damn thing!" Dean came to stop as Sam approached with heavy steps. "I don't know what Zachariah told you but you know it's a lie!" He paused for only a moment as the other man caught his eyes. "He's doing to you, what he did to Cas!" Sam continued, ready to dodge a punch at any given moment. "We don’t have time for this!"

"Zachariah wasn’t lying and Bobby knew John wasn't my Father." Dean growled.

"So what!?" Sam shouted, practically towering over his older brother. "He may not have been your Father, or father of the year for that matter, but the man still loved you and you know it! That will never change, Dean!" He paused again as he watched his brother's eyes drift away. Through a haze of hurt and anger, it was almost as if Dean could no longer see just how hard John had tried to raise two kids on his own. "The man DIED FOR YOU... Remember all those times he let you take the car? Remember that one time, you were barely 17 and you drove all night just so we could..." Sam trailed off as he watched the smirk suddenly appear to corner of his brother's lips. "What is it, Dean?" He asked, his words almost forced.

"Sammy there's a lot of things you don't know about the man and that's my fault." Dean started, passing a hand over his face. "You and me, we didn’t know the same Father."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked, his tone of voice instantly dropping and his anger fading fast.

"Dad never let me borrow the car." Dean started, sucking in a breath as he thought of his teenage years, or lack thereof. "When he stumbled in drunk at night, I'd steal her from him and just start driving.. I was 14 the first time, could barely reach the pedals." He paused for a moment as the memories came flooding back; the bitter ones seemed to outnumber the good ones. "All I wanted was to put as much distance as I could between his life and yours but I just couldn’t do it; reality would eventually make me turn around. I couldn't run from my life and I certainly couldn't save you from his..."

There was a moment of silence as Sam let it all sink in. After every road trip with his brother, he would always be left alone while John and Dean headed out on a hunt; hours later when they returned, Dean would come in quieter than ever. "I'm not saying that his hard life justified his actions, but the man loved you and raised you the best he could... Forget about what Zachariah told you, the son of a bitch probably took what he knew and twisted it around to fit his purpose." Sam paused for a moment as the other man once again looked away. "It's Armageddon, Dean and they're getting desperate... I can't do this alone. I need you right now more than ever, don't let some angel...."

"I'm sorry Sam." Dean quietly interrupted, shaking his head as he turned to make his way back towards the idling Impala. "But Zachariah made me realize that no matter how hard we try, we don't stand a chance on our own."

"So what, this is it?" Sam continued, his voice echoing in the night. "The world is days away from an Apocalypse and you're throwing in the towel? After everything we've been through you're giving up because of what some bastard of an angel told you?"

Dean paused in his steps as he turned slightly to face the other man. "Who said anything about giving up?" He started, his tone of voice low. "I'm going to fight for Hell...."


	6. I'm going down in flames...

Coming out of his brother's mouth, those words made absolutely no sense at all. "You're going to what?" Sam asked, his heart jumping to his throat as his brother’s voice echoed in his head.

"I'm going to fight for Hell, Sam." Dean bluntly replied, catching his younger brother's eyes for only a moment.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?" The younger man shouted, trying to make sense of his older brother's new stand. "YOU WANT TO FIGHT FOR HELL?"

"I have spent more time in Hell than I have in any one place on earth." Dean was quick to reply, wasting no time getting straight to the point. "I know how it works in the pit and I can tell you right now that the demons are alot more organized than the angels are... Hell's going to win this war."

"First you want to stop them and now you want to join them?" Sam asked, still at a loss over the dramatic turn of events.

"If you can't beat 'em, you join 'em... isn't that how the saying goes?" Dean replied frankly. "Besides, we vowed to stop this at any cost."

"Who are you and what have you done with my brother?" Sam started, pausing for only a moment as Dean cracked a smile and looked the other way. It was a tactic the other man often used to diffuse a confrontation, but tonight the simple gesture only added fuel to the fire. "WHAT HAPPENED TO FIGHTING FOR MANKIND?" Sam shouted, his harsh tone forcing his older brother to catch his eyes. "I THOUGHT WE WERE FIGHTING FOR US AND OUR RIGHT TO BE HERE!" He continued. "NOT FOR LUCIFER AND ALL OF HIS..."

"Are you going to hear me out or what?" Dean cut in, instantly silencing the other man. "I think I can do more for mankind, if I join Lucifer and his army of demons."

"How do you figure, Dean?" Sam growled, feeling his hands clench into fists as he watched the man in front of him turn into a stranger right before his eyes. "You, of all people, think you can do more for mankind if you join an army of demons? Demons that taunted and tortured you for years?"

"Sammy, what exactly do you think I did when I agreed to join them; when Alastair took me off that rack in Hell?" Dean asked, his tone of voice dropping slightly at the thought that was still so vivid in his mind. "Don't get me wrong, I regretted every breath but I didn't sit around and cry my heart out." He explained, his voice lacking any real human emotion. "I joined the ranks and I worked my way up to the top. "

Sam swallowed hard, his gaze settling on the headlights of the Impala before once again meeting his older brother's eyes. "Worked your way to the top?" He started, those words circling inside his head. He didn't want to ask, but Dean was the one that brought it up. "How do you move your way up a corporate ladder in Hell?"

"You kill who ever is ahead of you." Dean replied without missing a beat. "I was one of Alastair's best and I ruled with an iron fist, the demons feared me when I was down below." He continued. "We might be caught in the middle but this war’s pretty simple if you actually think about it; Heaven’s the one that’s on a power trip. You know those missing Horsemen? Well they’re not missing, they’re dead because the angels didn’t want them to get in the way."

"Get in the way of what?" Sam quietly asked.

"Michael and Zachariah LET the demons break seals to make them think they had the upper hand.." Dean continued. "They LET Lucifer walk out of Hell so that they could use this Heaven & Hell war to justify killing off mankind. The Horsemen were supposed to be the ones wreaking havoc but they’re all out of the picture... Heaven’s just doing this because they can." He paused for only a moment as he sucked in a breath. "The demons aren't the ones we should be worried about right now, and if I go back to Hell and pick up where I left off, I can help ‘em take out angels by the dozen."

"Doing this could destroy you, Dean." Sam started, the concern more than apparent in his tone of voice.   
  
"Or it could save the world, Sam." The older man was quick to reply.

There was a moment of silence as Sam shook his head, unable to understand his brother’s logic or current state of mind. "Dean, we're talking about Damnation, demons, Lucifer and..."

"We're talking about one last, desperate attempt to stop all of this before it's too late." Dean interrupted, once again silencing the other man. "We only need to take down one side, right? That was step one of the plan? Well I say we start by helping Lucifer put Heaven back in it's place. Trust me, we've got a better chance of surviving this, if we're not outnumbered by both sides. We can't save anyone if we're dead."

"I've already lost you to Hell once and I'm not going to loose you again." Sam growled. He took a step forward but froze when his older brother pulled out a gun, catching him by surprise.

"I'm not asking for your permission." Dean replied, loading his gun as he watched his younger brother take another step forward. "And I’m going to do this with or without your blessing..."

"Dean you're upset, but..."

"I'm not upset, I'm desperate and I’m willing to take the bullet if it means putting and end to the Apocalypse." Dean once again interrupted. "You know as well as I do that we don't stand a chance." His grip on the gun tightened as he watched Sam take another step towards him. "Taking them down from the inside might be the best shot we have and I'm not gonna miss it. I just need you to trust me on this one, Sammy."

"If this is what you think it'll take to win that's fine, but I'm not going to let you do this alone." Sam cut in, coming to a stop as the barrel of the gun pressed into his chest. There was a moment of silence and as he caught his brother's hard gaze, he felt the gun shake slightly in his grip.

"Yes you are." Dean hissed, his words catching in the back of his throat as his younger brother slowly put a hand up to lower the gun between them.

"No, I'm not." Sam paused as he watched the other man struggle to keep his emotions in check. When Dean’s mind was set, it was set; the only thing Sam could do now was bargain with him. "It's a good plan, Dean; if Lucifer buys it... but if he doesn't and it all goes downhill from there, I don't want you to be alone."

With the sound of both cars idling filling the lull between them, Dean eyed the gun tucked in his hand, his mind racing with every breath. "I don't want you to go through what I did. I know you want to help Sam, but Hell's a dark place and it'll bring out a side in you that you never knew was there." He quietly started looking up at the man standing only inches in front of him. "I'm already broken up inside and my soul is as good as theirs...."

"That's no reason for you to be doing this alone." Sam was quick to reply, swallowing hard as he watched his brother's eyes suddenly narrow. "Why don't you sleep on it, think it over."

"I'm not going to change my mind." Dean snapped, sucking in a breath as he tucked the gun away. "And I know that you're not going to change yours either so if you really want to tag along, there's some ground rules you're going to have to follow." He paused for only a moment as his brother gave him a nod. "Number 1: no questions asked. The time I spent in Hell was a time where I did what I had to just to get by. I don't want to talk about it and I don't want to explain it to you. Number 2: I call the shots, I get the last say and you're going to do what I tell you to. Number 3: if it all does go downhill and they turn on us, I'm getting you out of there, no matter what. Do I make myself clear?"

Sam reluctantly gave his brother a nod, knowing that agreeing with him was the only way he'd be able to stay at his side. "You have my word..." He said quietly, only hoping that he wouldn't live to regret those words.

"Good, then let’s get this over with." Dean replied, holding his brother's eyes for only a moment before turning to make his way back to the Impala, his brother following closely. "LUCIFER, I WANT A WORD WITH YOU!" He shouted into the stormy night as he leaned back against the hood of his car.

"No need to raise your voice...." The Devil calmly replied, bringing to a stop the idling engines of both cars with the snap of his fingers. "I'm never far away." Sam and Dean spun around as the Lucifer walked around the back of the Impala to join them. "Now boys, you have to understand that I'm pretty busy these days so lets just get to the point, shall we? Are you finally ready to say Yes, Sam? Is that why you’re here?"

"Sam's not the one who called on you, I am." Dean started, his tone of voice pulling the Devil's eyes away from the brother at his side. "And he's not here to say Yes." He paused for only a moment as he felt his breath start to catch in the back of his throat. Now that Lucifer was standing there in front of him, striking a deal seemed easier said than done. He swallowed hard, but kept his calloused expression. "I called you here to let you know that Sam and I, we're willing to fight for Hell."

There was a short moment of silence as Lucifer eyed the pair, a slight smirk to the corner of his lips. "Are you serious?" He asked, his gaze drifting from one man to the other before settling on the older of the two.

"Oh I'm dead serious." Dean growled, his stern tone of voice masking any hint of uncertainty. "If Sam and I can't stop this and we're going to get caught up in it anyway, then we want to fight for you."

"Never thought I'd hear you say that." Lucifer replied as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Now be honest and tell me the truth, why are the two of you really willing to fight for me?"

"Isn’t it obvious?" Dean replied simply. "We would rather fight for Hell than let Heaven win."

"You think I need you two to win?" Lucifer bluntly replied. "Don’t flatter yourself child. "

"I’m their only hope and their biggest threat all rolled into one." Dean growled, his eyes narrowing on the Devil as he watched his eyes once again drift over to the brother at his side. "You know who I am and what I'm capable of... we can be enemies or allies, it’s your call."

"What’s the catch, Dean?" Lucifer asked, taking notice of the tension between the pair. "A proposition like this surely comes with a few strings attached."

"There is no catch, just a few conditions." Dean was quick to reply.

"Go on, I'm listening." The Devil said, a sly smile to the corner of his lips. "What is it that you want in exchange for your services."

"I want to pick up right where I left off." Dean started, his tone of voice low. "I want my ranking back and I want everything to be just the same as it was when I was pulled out of the Hell." He paused for only a moment and as lightning lit up the night sky he could have sworn he felt his brother’s eyes bearing down on him. "I want you to guarantee our safety, and that your demons won't dare lay a hand on my brother or anyone else that I have at my side while we fight for you."

Lucifer offered a nod as he considered Deans demands. "You two are smart, you're not only good hunters but good con artists too..." He started, knowing that the brothers had something up their sleeves. "Give me one good reason why I should trust you, after all the lies you've told just to get by."

"Only one reason?" Dean repeated, a smirk to the corner of his lips as he pushed himself off the front of the Impala and stepped up to Lucifer. "I never asked to be saved." He hissed, catching the Devil’s eyes in the headlights of his car. "I was ripped out of Hell to be used like a damn puppet on strings by a bunch of stuck up, self-righteous dicks on a crusade to wipe mankind off the map."

"Watch yourself." Lucifer cut in, his soft tone of voice almost eerie. "Those are my brothers you're talking about; we may not get along like we use to, but we're still family..."

"I'm glad you seem to think so, but they don't." Dean cut in, watching as the Devil's eyes instantly narrowed. "I've talked to Michael and believe me, big brother's not worth defending... not after what he told me."

Sam couldn’t help but swallow hard as he watched his older brother stand up to Lucifer. Keeping his silence and staying out of it was harder than he thought it would be, especially when Dean was trying to work his way under the Devil’s skin, trying to convince him into letting them fight for Hell in exchange for their safety. The moment of silence they shared made his breath catch in the back of his throat. He didn’t doubt for a second that his older brother couldn’t pull it off, it was the aftermath of such a con that really worried him.

"Heaven had a massacre in mind and they needed a good excuse to pull it off, so Michael and Zachariah let you out of your cage... they're using the Apocalypse to justify killing us. They wanted to do it themselves so badly, that they even got your Horsemen out of the way." Dean paused for only a moment as he took a deep breath, a vain attempt to keep his cool and stop his heart from beating right out of his chest. "When all of this is over and done, they'll shove your ass back into the pit and lock the door again... that is if they don't kill you off too."  
  
"Do have any idea how long I've waited to seek justice with my brother?" The Devil replied. "To speak with him face to face."

"Don't you get it Lucifer? This isn't about you and Michael settling your score, about who's right and who's wrong... this is about their greed, about them showing off and rubbing it in both your face and mine. They have an ego so big, they cant see past the fixed fight they set up; and when they're done with mankind, I'm pretty sure you and your demons are next." When Lucifer’s eyes slowly drifted away from his stare, Dean knew he’d just hit a nerve.

"And what makes you think I'm going to spare all the lives my brothers want to waste, if we win?" The Devil quietly replied. "Why should I save any of you."

"Because you'd be pretty lonely if it weren't for your demons and even they were human at one point in time." Dean started, his tone of voice pulling the Devil's eyes back up to meet his gaze. "You have more in common with us than you do with your brothers... We don't all agree or follow orders blindly either; we make our own path and that's what makes our lives worth living." He paused for only a moment as lightning once again lit up the night sky, reminding him of the chaos surrounding them. "It's time big brother learned that you don't always get what you want, just because you want it. Do we have a deal or not?"

"I’ve heard your conditions and now you’ll hear mine." Lucifer started, his blunt tone of voice following the thunder that growled overhead. "If you want to fight for Hell, then you will follow my orders and you will do as you are told.

First and foremost; you can do what you want with the angels that get in your way but Michael is mine to deal with. I don't care the circumstances, if you lay a hand on my brother, so help me I will do as I please with yours. I'll provide an escort to keep you as safe as I can, but if you disobey me, I’ll call it off and you’ll be on your own." He paused as he caught Sam’s eyes over Dean’s shoulder. "If you betray, hustle, double cross, or play me in any way..." He continued, holding the younger man’s gaze for a moment before again focusing on the hunter standing in front of him. "If my blood ends up on your hands, Dean Winchester; a bounty goes out for Sam’s head, what’s left of your soul will be Hell’s to keep. Now you tell me, do we have an agreement or not?"

Dean sucked in a breath as he extended his hand, knowing that his younger brother was watching and questioning his every move. "It’s a deal." He replied with authority as he watched the Devil give him a grin. "Unless of course it needs to be sealed with a kiss, if that’s the case, Sammy can take care of it."

"Hang onto your humor." Lucifer calmly replied as he reached out to shake Dean’s hand. "You’re going to need it in light of these dark days ahead." He paused for only a moment as he offered a smile. "I'll have a contract ready for you to sign and tomorrow at midnight, I'll come for you. "

When Dean released his grip, Lucifer disappeared and both cars came back to life; their idling engines offering a rhythmic sound to the turbulent night. He let out a heavy sigh as he turned to face his younger brother, knowing that even if he had Sam’s support, they didn’t see eye to eye. "Well I guess that’s settled." He started quietly as he made his way back to the Impala. "In less than 24 hours, our ass belongs to Hell."

Sam swallowed hard as he watched the other man approach, it was almost as if Dean was doing all he could just to avoid his eyes. "I hope you know what you’re getting into." He started as he pushed himself off the front of the Impala. "You going to break the news to Bobby or should I?" He continued, pausing for only a moment as his older brother finally caught his eyes. "He’s going to throw a fit either way."

"You tell him." Dean quietly replied, passing a hand over his face. "I’ve burned enough bridges for one night..."

"Yeah, well when you get that temper under control, I think you owe him an apology." Sam was quick to reply as he carefully studied his older brother. "You going to be alright?" He asked simply, pushing aside the fact that he knew Dean had just taken on more than either of them could handle. The last couple of days had been hard, but worse was yet to come.

"Yeah, I’ll be fine." Dean replied, his voice barely above a whisper as he made his way back towards the Impala. "I think I’ll stay out here for a bit and think a few things over, you go on to Bobby’s... I’ll see you in the morning." He said before reaching into the car to shut off the engine.

"See you in the morning..." Sam replied, pausing in his steps as he watched the other man pull himself up onto the hood of the Impala. He took a seat behind the wheel of Bobby’s car and adjusted the rearview mirror to get a better look at his older brother in the glow of the red tail lights. Though Dean would argue to the death that fighting for Hell was a sacrifice worth making, the look on his face painted a clear picture of the man behind this selfless, heroic alter ego. He swallowed the lump that was caught in his throat as he slid the lever into drive and pulled a U-Turn to head back towards Bobby’s house; leaving Dean alone to deal with his own thoughts about the outcome of the night and it’s emotional toll.

His grip on the wheel tightened slightly as he thought of the deal Dean had just made with Lucifer, a deal that would see them fighting alongside Hell to bring down Heaven. When he came around a sharp bend and the headlights of his car illuminated a small group of people fighting in the middle of the road, he swore to himself and slammed on the brakes. The car skidded to a stop and what he thought was a brawl at first glance, quickly turned to an ambush in progress as he watched a group of four of five shove Gabriel to the ground. When one of the angels pulled a long silver blade from his side, and another put a knee to the archangel’s chest to hold him in place; Sam put the shifter in park, grabbed his gun and got out of the car. "LET HIM GO!" He shouted, his voice doing little to get their attention as Gabriel desperately tried to free himself from his attackers. Getting no response, he took aim from behind the open door and wasted no time shooting dead the angel that had been holding the blade. "I said let him go!" He growled, watching as the remaining trio suddenly turned from Gabriel, to him. Without another word as they advanced, Sam loaded the gun and started shooting them down one by one, the echo of the gun shots overlapping in the night.

Gabriel let out a heavy sigh as he pulled himself into a sitting position, wincing slightly as he felt the muscles in his body pull from the beating. "You know how fast bad news travels?" He asked, squinting against the headlight of the car as he passed a hand over his cheekbone to study a large cut. "That deal you two knuckle heads just made with Lucifer, has the angels at your throats..." He paused for only a moment as he got to his feet, using his hand to block of the glare of the lights. "Congratulations Sam, they were pissed before but now they’re livid and they wont rest until they see you, and all those around you, DEAD! " He hissed, catching the other man’s eyes. "The last thing I want right now, is to be anywhere near you or your brother... You two are walking targets for the sore losers in this game."

"Hey, I just saved your life." Sam replied, watching as Gabriel wiped the blood from the corner of his busted lip with the sleeve of his coat. "Those angels almost killed you."

"THEY WEREN'T AFTER ME UNTIL THEY LEARNED THAT LUCIFER HAD YOU ON HIS SIDE!" Gabriel shouted, pointing towards the young hunter as he kept his distance. "You’re a threat to them now because Lucifer’s got you fighting for Hell! All I wanted, was to make sure you had all the right tools to survive this war... I should have stayed out of it but I didn’t and now you’re dragging me down with you!" He paused for a moment as his gaze drifted down to the bodies strewn on the road around him. "The angels want me dead because I helped you, the demons want me dead because I’m an angel, and now that you’re onboard with Hell, mankind might as well just kiss their ass’ good bye!"

"I don’t agree with Dean’s approach, but it’s a better idea than the one we had before." Sam was quick to reply.

"You don’t seem to understand the severity of this." Gabriel growled, taking a nervous glance at the dark night around them. "You’re flirting with a disaster much worse than the Apocalypse by letting your brother go through with this deal. Days are weeks in Hell and weeks are months... Going back is gonna make him remember all of the things he left behind when Castiel pulled him out. It’s a slippery slope, Sam and it wont take much for him to fall." Gabriel paused for only a moment as he sucked in a ragged breath. "Dean’s not the man he once was, the only reason he keeps going is because that’s what he was programed to do, it’s all he knows. Outside he’s this bold, fearless, meticulous leader but inside he’s all anger, angst & guilt; it’s only a matter of time before he falls apart, before something set’s him off..."

"I believe in him and nothing you say is going to change that." Sam hissed. "Besides, this isn’t long term."

"It doesn’t have to be. Old habits die hard, Sam and in this case they don’t die at all." Gabriel snapped. "Like it or not he’s going to change right before your eyes. If you let him do this, I can almost guaranty that you’re going to lose him to Hell."

"All we’re going to do, is put Heaven back in it’s place."

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, Sam." Gabriel replied softly as he started to turn away. "You and Dean of all people should know that. Your heart might be in the right place but nothing good will come of this...." He paused for only a moment as lightning once again lit up the night sky. "Now you stay away from me."

When Sam loaded the gun in his grip, Gabriel froze in his steps. "Times have changed and now you’re safer with us than you are on your own." He growled, watching as the archangel turned slightly to catch his eyes. "You’re coming with me, so get in the car. I won’t ask twice."


	7. Ask about my conscious and I'll offer you my soul

Sam watched as Bobby paced the living room floor, pausing every few steps to take a glance out the window at the Impala parked among the wrecked cars in his scrap yard. "Why don’t you just go out there and talk to him?" He started softly, letting out a sigh as he eyed the clock on the wall. "It’s almost noon now anyway."

Barely giving the younger man a glance, Bobby continued to pace, thoughts of the night before still circling in his head. "I doubt he wants to talk to me right now." He replied simply, his eyes drifting over to the journal that still lay right where Dean had dropped it on the desk. "And even if he did, I don’t think he’d like what I have to say about this new plan of yours."

"Well I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who doesn’t agree with the new plan..." Gabriel started, pulling the veteran hunter’s eyes away from John’s old journal. "If you ask me, I’d call it the ultimate suicide mission on crack..."

"Yeah well no one asked you." Sam cut in, watching as the archangel leaned back against the wall behind him.

"Why did you even bring him here?" Bobby asked, pointing to Gabriel as he turned to face the young hunter.

Before Gabriel could put in a word, Sam was quick to reply. "Because he’s as good as dead without us and we’re going to need all the help we can get."

"Not to mention I was more or less taken as a hostage." The archangel muttered under his breath, wincing slightly as he felt his sore muscles pull.

"Don’t play the victim with me." Sam snapped, his eyes instantly narrowing as Gabriel offered a smirk.

"Well you did pull a gun on me..."  
  
"If you really wanted to, you would have left by now. You are an archangel afterall." Sam started, pausing for only a moment as he watched Gabriel’s eyes suddenly drift away from his gaze. "The only reason you’re still here is because you KNOW you’re safer with us. You don’t bounce back quite like you use to and those angels could have easily killed you last night... Like it or not, we’re all you’ve got now and we’re the only ones that are going to save your ass."

"The only reason you’re going to save my ass, is because I’m the only angel you’ve got." Gabriel hissed, looking back over to catch Sam’s eyes.

"Could you two do your bickering after the Apocalypse is over?" Bobby interrupted, his tone of voice pulling Sam’s attention away from the sullen archangel across the room. "If you idgits only have ‘till midnight tonight, I don’t want to waste it hearing you two argue like an old married couple."

Sam let out a sigh as he took another quick glance at the clock on the wall. "Are you going to go wake him up or should I?" He asked simply as he caught the veteran hunter’s eyes.

"I’d go, but he already pulled a gun on me." Gabriel quipped, crossing his arms as he straightened out. "And unlike you, Sam... Your brother was more than willing to pull the trigger."

"Yeah well maybe he should have..."

When Bobby cleared his throat, the room once again fell into silence. "You two just stay in your own corners and keep the comments to yourselves, alright?" He growled, first looking at Sam before looking over at Gabriel. "I’ll go get the other one." He announced as made his way towards the door. "Idgits"

Sam watched as the older man made his way down the hall and out the back door. "If you want to stay, you’d better pull your own weight." He growled.

"If you need all the help you can get..." Gabriel started, catching the younger man’s eyes from across the room. "Then you’d better change your tone with me, boy."

* * *

Bobby sucked in a breath as he slowly made his way towards the Impala, wondering if all of this would have been avoided had Dean known his true purpose in life; his reason for being. He could still remember the day John told him Dean wasn’t his son; the look on the other man’s face as he downed one shot after another was still fresh in his mind. The boy may not have been his flesh and blood but the look Bobby saw on Dean’s face the night before was a mirrored reflection of John Winchester. The anger, the angst, the disappointment, the short fuse and the resulting deal were all things he knew the young hunter had acquired from John. As he approached the Impala and reached out to tap on the window he couldn’t help but pause, taking a moment to observe how peaceful the younger man looked despite the demons in his head and the chaotic times surrounding him.

Dean lay stretched out the best he could across the front seat, his worn leather jacket draped over him like a blanket and his left arm up against the driver’s door to prop his head up. Bobby hesitated for a moment as he thought of what Sam had told him, about the deal they had made with Lucifer and all of the events that had led to it. Ignoring the continuous storm that raged overhead, he gently tapped a finger against the glass, knowing that it would be more than enough to wake a man that was always ready for a fight. He took a step back as Dean shot up, gun in hand. "It’s just me." He said simply, his voice just barely above the low hum of the grumbling thunder.

Dean tucked his gun away as he let out a yawn and stepped out of the car. Stretching as he shut the door behind him, he took a glance up at the cloudy sky. There was a moment of silence between them as both tried to think of where to start. "I take it Sam told you about the change of plans?" Dean finally started, catching the older man’s eyes.

"Yeah and for the record, I think it’s a worse idea than your first one." Bobby was quick to reply. There was another moment of silence and Bobby couldn’t help but think of how the secret he had kept, had torn the other man’s world apart. "Dean, John told me that you weren’t his son but he never told me you were a Guardian Angel... That’s something he kept to himself." He trailed off as he felt his heart hit the pit of stomach. "It’s just one of those situations where you don’t ask too many questions, you know?" Bobby continued, swallowing the lump that was caught in his throat. "John was devastated when your mother told him but they made it work, he loved her to death..."  
  
"Bobby." Dean interrupted, instantly silencing the other man. "I’m sorry about last night; I was angry & out of line and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you, or Sam, or Gabriel.... Or even Dad." He paused for a moment as he took a deep breath, an attempt to keep the tears out of his eyes. "I just... the angels are worse than the demons right now and I just lost it when I found out that I was practically one of them..."

"Born a Guardian Angel or not." Bobby started, a slight grin to the corner of his lips as the young hunter caught his eyes. "You’re a true Winchester, son. You’re as determined as your mother was and as bullheaded as your father... Those angels don’t stand a chance." He paused for only a moment as he watched Dean crack a smile, the first real one he’d seen in a very long time. "Now, what do you say we get you some breakfast?"

"Sounds good to me." Dean replied as they started making their way back towards the house.

"Oh and just so there’s no surprises when you walk in that door." Bobby continued, pointing towards his home. "Gabriel spent the night and by the looks of it, he’s going to be riding out the rest of the storm with us..."  
  
"As I recall, he didn’t really want to be a part of this." Dean replied, looking over to the man at his side. "He just wanted to let us know how to fight it."

"Yeah well, now that the angels are out for him too, he may have changed his mind." Bobby said as they made their way up the few steps leading up to the back porch. "...didn’t change his attitude any though."

Sam got up from the edge of the desk he had been sitting on as Bobby and Dean entered the room. Without a word, he made his way towards his brother and simply pulled him into a hug; just happy to see that the other man had made it through such a restless night. "You alright?"

"You two really do redefine the word bromance, you know that?" Gabriel started, a smirk to the corner of his lips as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Bite me." Sam hissed, glancing over his shoulder as he pulled away from the quick hug.

"I don’t know, you might enjoy it a little too much..." The archangel continued with a wink.

When Sam turned to make his way across the room, Dean reached out to grab him by the shirt. "Dude relax, will you?" He said, watching as his younger brother looked back to catch his eyes. "The better the reaction, the more he’s gonna push... You know that."

"I see that you’re making a tad bit more sense this morning." Gabriel started, watching as Dean let go of his younger brother’s shirt. "Considering the state of mind you were in last night, did you drink yourself sober or what?"

"If you want to live through this, Gabe..." Dean replied, his tone of voice low as he walked across the room to face the archangel that was leaning up against the wall. "Then I suggest you cut the crap." He paused for only a moment as he studied the other man carefully, taking notice of the bruise and deep gash along his cheek. "Don’t piss me off and don’t push your luck or I’ll hand you over to them, you understand me?" He asked, watching as Gabriel gave him somewhat of a nod. "Good, now let’s get our shit together."

Bobby and Sam exchanged a quick glance as Dean held Gabriel’s eyes, the authority in his voice a little more demanding than usual. "Ok, well I’ll get breakfast started." The veteran hunter announced, watching as the oldest Winchester made his way back to the desk in the middle of the living room. "Sam why don’t you set up in the dinning room and see if you can find a frequency I can use to broadcast over the radio."

"That’s a good idea and if you do pick anything up, there’s a really good chance we’ll be able to keep in touch." Dean said as he stretched the maps Bobby had been working on across the desk. "Or that you can at least let us know what’s going on at your end..."

"I somehow doubt Lucifer is going to let you keep in touch, he’s not stupid." Gabriel started as he pushed himself away from the wall.

"Yeah well neither am I." Dean replied without looking up. "I made sure he agreed to a few things before I called it a deal."

"You do realize that he’s probably anticipating the ace or two you boys have up your sleeves, right..." Gabriel continued, watching as Dean went on studying the maps that were open in front of him.

"Hey Gabe, you’re a pro at getting around real quick. why don’t you go take a jog and see what’s left along the north/west?" Dean asked, reaching under the table to pull a pistol from his packed duffle bag.

"Why north/west?" Sam asked, leaning forward to take a glance at the open map.

"Because by the look of things, that’s where they’re headed next." Dean replied, his eyes drifting from his brother to the archangel nearby. "Here, take one of our guns with you." He said, reaching out to pass the weapon along to the archangel. "Just in case you have another run in with your brothers..."

Gabriel shook his head as he reached for his long silver blade. "I’ve got my own, thanks."

"Yeah, and so do they." Dean was quick to reply. "You’ll beat them to the draw if you carry a gun." He continued, watching as the archangel reluctantly took the gun from his hands. "You do know how to use it, right?"

Bobby couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as Gabriel flipped Dean off and then vanished from the living room. "It’ll be a miracle if he comes back to put up with you two." The veteran hunter said as he headed into the kitchen.

* * *

Dean let out a heavy sigh as he studied one of many maps, all of them marking a path of destruction that seemed to show no mercy. In the room nearby he could hear the low hum of static and white noise as Sam and Bobby fiddled around with all the electronics they could get their hands on. Between the high pitch whine of feedback and the countless cussing, he wondered if they were making any progress at all. When an ear shattering hiss, quickly followed by more swearing suddenly filled the air, he couldn’t help but wince. "How’s it going in there guys?" He called out, taking a quick glance at the clock on the wall as it continued to tick away.

"At this rate, we’ll be shattering windows before we broadcast anything over the radio..." Bobby muttered, the frustration in his voice more than obvious.

He let out a yawn as he turned his attention back to the maps and the information Bobby had gathered. The pattern was right there in front of him but what he couldn’t quite seem to figure out was who had gotten there first; the angels or the demons. When Castiel suddenly appeared out of thin air and slapped a hand down on the desk in front of him, he couldn’t help but jump. The sound of the angel’s silver blade hitting the desk was like an unexpected punch to the chest; stealing the air from his lungs and sending his heart racing into his throat. He swallowed hard and as he looked up to catch the angel’s blue eyes; the continuous rumble of thunder and the hiss of static instantly faded into the background.

"I want you to cut out my wings." Castiel growled, holding the young hunter’s eyes as he slid his silver blade across the desk between. "I don't want them anymore."

There was a moment of silence as Dean’s gaze drifted down to the angel’s weapon; the stark words circling in his head. "You want me to what?" He asked, trying to calm his racing heart as he looked back up to catch those piercing blue eyes.

"Cut out my wings." Castiel curtly replied, his low tone of voice resonating in the room as his words hit the floor. "I want you to cut out my wings."

"Don’t you think that’s a little extreme?" Dean started softly, taking a deep breath as he studied the angel carefully. Something was wrong, that much he knew.

"If you don’t do it for me, then I’ll rip ‘em out myself." Castiel hissed, his eyes narrowing on the man in front of him for only a moment before darting up towards the door as both Sam and Bobby abruptly turned the corner.

Dean took a quick glance over his shoulder as Sam reached for the gun that was tucked in the back of his belt. He put a hand up to stop his brother before turning his attention back to the obviously distraught angel in front of him. "Just relax for a second and tell me what’s wrong." He asked, watching as Castiel’s cautious eyes stayed glued to Sam and Bobby in the doorway. "Cas..."

"You were right about Zachariah, you were right about him lying to get me on their side." Castiel suddenly started, doing little to hide the anger in his voice as his eyes met Dean’s. "I was stupid to think that they’d give me a second chance, after everything I’ve done, I should have known better and I should have seen what they were after..." He paused for only a moment as he thought of what he could have done differently to avoid the situation they now found themselves in. "The angels are ruthless and determined to get their way, they’ll stop at nothing to win this war, to overtake mankind." He continued, hating himself for having blindly followed the orders that had lead them to Armageddon. "I’ve seen their intentions and I’ll have no part in this malicious game of theirs."

"Cas, what did they do to you?" Dean was quick to ask, almost feeling the disgust and resentment in the angel's voice. "What did Zachariah do that made you angry enough, to want to rip out your own wings?"

There was a moment of silence as the angel sucked in a shallow breath. "Angry doesn’t come close." He snapped, his words as sharp as the blade still pinned between his hand and the desk. "Zachariah made me break the one thing Jimmy made me promise; that his family would be safe. The son of a bitch made me watch as they killed Jimmy’s wife and daughter. Zachariah made HIM watch because I didn’t want to help them get to you!"

When Dean’s eyes drifted down to the dark red stain on the bottom of Castiel’s white shirt, he couldn’t help but swallow hard. "Cas are you bleeding?" He asked quietly, well aware of the dangerously unstable mix of anger, guilt, despair and anguish that circled the angel in front of him like a raging storm. When he leaned forward to push Castiel’s overcoat aside, the angel pulled away.

"Jimmy’s dead." Castiel declared, his voice void of emotion as he straightened out. "He practically begged me to do it."

"You killed him?" Sam asked from the doorway, he too eying the dark stain on the angel’s white shirt.

"He watched his family die at the hands of angels, they cheated him and he wanted out." Castiel explained, his eyes once again narrowing on the man at the desk in front of him. "Now I want out too." He continued, pulling his overcoat off and tossing it to a chair nearby. "I would rather follow you back into Hell than let the angels have their way."

"Cas, you’re not..."

"I won’t take no for an answer." The angel spat, cutting into the other man’s sentence. "The last thing I need in Hell is this target on my back." When Dean looked away, Castiel cleared his throat to get his attention. He held the hunter’s eyes as he once again pushed his blade across the cluttered desk. "I've done more for you, than you have for me... you OWE me this much."

"I can’t, Cas..." He started, his words almost lost in the silence that filled the room.

"Why not?" The angel asked, leaning forward to place both hands on the desk between them. "Do you forget how I found you when I pulled you from Hell?" He paused for only a moment as he watched the other man’s eyes drop down to the sharp blade. "Because I don’t." He continued. "You did things like this all the time and if you intend on going back to the pit and fighting for Hell, you’ll be expected to pick up right where you left off..."

Dean closed his eyes for a moment as he thought of all the souls he’d tortured in Hell. Though all of them were human, they were strangers to him, people he didn’t know or care about. He was prepared to go back to his old ways if it meant convincing Lucifer he was fighting for the same cause but this was different. He hesitated as he tired to find his words. "I can’t do it Cas, not to you."

"I know you still have it in you." Castiel went on. "C’mon Dean, why don’t you show your little brother what you’re really capable of and what it is exactly that he’s getting himself into."

"Back off Cas..." Sam interrupted, pulling the gun from the back of his belt as he watched his older brother falter.

"Why should I." The angel was quick to reply as he straightened out and turned his attention from the man in front of him to the one in the doorway.  
  
"Because I said so." Sam barked, loading the gun as the angel grabbed the blade from the cluttered desk. Though it was a scenario that had played out once before, the smirk that crossed the angel’s face made a shiver crawl down the young hunter’s spine.  
  
"Then you do it." Castiel started softly, turning the blade in his hand. "You want to follow him into Hell? Then it’s time for you to show me just how thick that skin of yours really is..."

When Gabriel suddenly appeared between them, Sam couldn't help but swear under his breath. "He’s right you know, those wings in Hell are just asking for trouble." The archangel started, watching as the younger man lowered his gun "And if you do intend on tagging along, you can bet your ass you’ll be doing worse than just clipping some angel wings..."  
  
"How's it look Gabriel." Dean suddenly started, his gaze finally drifting back up from the desk in front of him. "Who's got a better foot hold, Angels or Demons?"

There was a moment of silence as the archangel studied the other man. The emptiness in his eyes told him all he really needed to know; Dean was beyond any breaking point he could truly recover from. "The demons do." He said softly, watching as Dean offered somewhat of a smirk and a nod. "The angels are killing more people than they're convincing and those who do find vessels, are having a hard time keeping the demons off their backs. Some towns were ambushed by angels before the demons even got there. It’s Hell on earth alright but the demons had nothing to do with any of it." He paused for only a moment as he took a deep breath. "By the looks of it, Lucifer's winning but Michael is willing and ready to send in everyone's he's got... "

"What is that supposed to mean?" Bobby asked from the doorway, straightening out as Gabriel turned to face him.

"It means that the angels aren't going to back down." Castiel cut in, still clutching his blade. "Michael's too proud for that and he's going to die before he gives up... It may look like the demons have the upper hand but just remember that the angels LET them break all those seals to set Lucifer free. This may be a ruse, it could turn on a dime."  
  
"Not if I have anything to say about it." Dean growled, pushing himself away from the desk as he got to his feet. "Cas if you want to tag along that 's your choice, but I'm not cutting the wings off your back."

"Fine, then I'll rip them out myself." The angel replied, setting his blade down on the desk as he started to undo the tie around his neck.

"You know, I'm astound at the devotion you have to follow this guy around but take it from an angel that knows; cutting your own wings out is easier said than done." There was a short moment of silence as Gabriel reached for his own blade. "Trust me little brother, it's not something you want to be doing by yourself."

"Guys, I don't think..."

"It's his call, Bobby." Dean was quick to interrupt, his eyes drifting over to the clock on the wall. "If he wants to renounce his angelhood, that’s his choice." He continued, his gaze catching Castiel's eyes. "But I wont be the reason and I want no part in it."

Sam swallowed hard as his older brother turned and started to walk away, grabbing a bottle of whisky from one of the many piles of books that lined the living room. Without another word or a glance, Dean made his way down the hall and out the back door, letting the porch door slam shut behind him The shift was more than apparent and as he watched his older brother make his way to the scrap yard, Sam wondered if Gabriel was right about Dean’s current state. When his eyes met Bobby's who was still standing in the doorway, he cleared his throat. "Alright, better get this done fast." He announced, pointing the two renegade angels to the stairs nearby. "We've got a date with the Devil that we can't afford to miss."


	8. Somebody get me through this nightmare

When Sam stepped off the back porch all he could hear was the sound of Led Zepplin drifting through the scrap yard. He couldn't see the Impala, but as he started walking towards the music, he knew exactly what the scene would look like once he did find her. The windows would be rolled down, the tail lights would be on and Dean would be stretched out along the hood; the windshield serving as a backrest. The bottle of whisky would be in his right hand, resting lightly on his lap as not to scratch the car's black finish. It would be more than half empty by now but the effects of the alcohol would be lost on his older brother. Unlike their Father, Dean could hold his liquor, perhaps a bit too well. When Sam passed a row of stacked cars and his eyes did spot the Impala, he felt his breath start to catch in the back of his throat. Though the scene was what he thought it would be, tonight there was something different about it. He made his way over, knowing the other man wouldn't hear him over the storm overhead and Zepplin's Ramble On. Reaching the Impala, he leaned in through the open window to turn down the volume.

"I don't want to talk about it, Sam." Dean started without looking over. He took a sip from his bottle but kept his eyes on the lightning above as the younger man made his way towards the front of the car.

"I just want to know if you're alright." Sam replied quietly, shoving both hands into his pockets as his gaze followed Dean's up into the turbulent sky.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Dean was quick to reply.

"Dean you’re all over the map." The younger man started. "First you’re all gung-ho about joining Lucifer and helping Hell and then Cas shows up out of nowhere and you freeze." He paused for only a moment as Dean looked over. "I don't blame you , I mean if I was in your shoes and a renegade angel showed up to..."

"You're not in my shoes Sammy." The older man snapped as he caught his brother's eyes. "And you don't have everyone counting on you ." He paused for a moment as he sucked in a breath. "You really want to know why I didn't want to cut out Cas's wings?" He asked drily. "It's because I don't want his blood on my hands, not now and not when it all goes to Hell."  
  
"That's not what..." Sam trailed off as he took a punch to the face. It was so unexpected, he was knocked off his feet and on his hands and knees before he even realized what was going on. When he felt something just as hard come into contact with his ribs, he knew he had to get up off the ground. In a daze and short of breath, he grabbed the hood of the car and quickly pulled himself up, swearing to himself as the world around him started to spin. Though lightning lit up the sky, the bright beam of light that followed a roll of thunder had nothing to do with the ongoing storm. It made the ground beneath his feet shake as it pierced the darkness around them and left them both momentarily blind. When his eyes readjusted to the dimness, his gaze drifted down to the scorched wings in the dirt at his feet.

"What the..." Dean didn't have the time to finish his sentence as he felt a hand wrap around his right ankle. Though he could see there was no one there, he knew that wasn't the case. The Whisky bottle dropped from his hands and as he reached for his gun, he was dragged off the hood of the Impala. Before his feet touched the ground, a second beam of light cut through the darkness and a second outline of wings appeared scorched into the soil in front of the car. For a moment there was silence and the brothers exchanged a quick glance. "You alright, Sammy?" Dean asked, watching as the younger man brought a hand up to his face

"Yeah, but what the Hell just happened!" Sam started, he too reaching for his gun as he eyed the set of wings.

"You were attacked by a pair of angels, what does it look like." Came the blunt reply. "If it weren't for me you'd be dead, and if it weren't for your damn contract, I'd kill you myself." Bela continued, her tone of voice forcing both to look over. "I have much more important things to do with my time, than babysit you two."

As Dean caught her eyes, he felt his heart skip a beat. The last time they spoke, she was counting down the seconds to her demise; the same fate he would meet only days later. He knew where she had been and what she had gone through, but what he didn't know was how she had managed to make her way out of the depths of Hell.

When neither said a word, the smirk crept up from the corner of her lips. "Ah, speechless I see, well let me fill you boys in." She started, turning the large blade in her grip. "You two are fighting for Hell now and as per your previous agreement, you're now protected by Lucifer's army.... So unfortunately for both of us, here I am."

"Little late, huh?" Dean asked, gesturing towards his younger brother and the hand he had firmly pressed to his sore cheekbone.

"Better late than never." She replied briskly.

There was another moment of silence and Sam couldn't help but ask what he knew was also on his older brother's mind. "Bela, are you a demon?" He quietly started, pulling her attention away from Dean for only a second.

"Hardly." She replied without missing a beat. "I worked the system just fine when I was up here, I work it even better now that I'm six feet below... They’ve tried, but they'll never make a demon out of me."

"Well, looks like you’re doing pretty good for yourself, then again it doesn't surprise me that someone like you would thrive in Hell." Dean groaned. "What ever happened to your morals anyway?" He continued. "That is, if you had any to start with."

"I sold them to the highest bidder, what happened to yours?" She quipped.

"If you're not a demon, then what exactly are you." Sam cut in, once again pulling her attention away from his older brother. As she caught his eyes with a sinister grin, he couldn't help but swallow hard. The cold, calloused woman standing there in front of them wasn't quite the same manipulative thief they'd crossed once before. The time served in Hell had played a number on her, just as it had done to Dean; but unlike his brother, Bela seemed to have adapted to her new role, not regret it.

"What am I?" She replied with somewhat of a smirk. "I'm in charge."

"Says who?" Dean asked, the grip on his gun tightening as he watched her eyes drift form her left to her right. When a pair of Hell Hounds stepped out of the shadows to join her, he froze. Just seeing them made his mind flood with painful memories of when they had dragged him to Hell. He could still feel their jagged teeth sinking into his flesh and he could still hear the sound of their claws tearing at his chest. Standing at least four feet high and bearing their sharp teeth, the hounds arched their backs and kept their massive heads low to the ground; ready to attack on command.

Though Sam had heard the beasts before and seen the damage done when they had come for his older brother, he had never actually caught a glimpse of them, until now. Their piercing eyes glowed a dark shade of red and the sound of their menacing growl made his blood run cold. With flesh hanging from the bones, just the sight of them made him sick to the stomach. When the Hell hounds took a step forward, he and his brother took a panicked step back against the front grill of the Impala.

"What's wrong, boys?" Bela asked casually. "You’ve dealt with all sorts of monsters, don't tell me you're afraid of a few Hell hounds."

"Get those things away from us, or I'll shoot them both dead." Dean growled, loading the gun in his white knuckled grip as he straightened out; his eyes glued to the vicious dogs.

"Oh, so there is something else you fear, other than failing or ending up alone." She paused for only a moment as lightning lit up the sky and both Hell Hounds instantly vanished from her side. "I'm going to make one thing very clear." She continued, rolling the large blade from one hand to the other as Dean's eyes finally met her gaze. "You two and your little rebellious militia are now under my watch until the big day so you're going to be doing as you're told, you understand me?" She paused again as she eyed one, and then the other. "We already have a game plan set and you're going to be following it until Michael and Lucifer meet face to face. Any questions?"

"Yeah, who died and made you queen bitch?" Dean asked wrily.

"You did, actually... but you didn't die, you were resurrected." She was quick to reply. "I was the next in line for your title." She paused for only a moment as she watched the color instantly drain from his face, his expression changing just as fast. "Don't you remember, Dean? In the end, you were the one that broke me..." She said, her tone of voice failing to pull the other man's eyes up off the ground. "Isn't it funny what the mind chooses to remember and what it chooses to forget?

Dean swallowed hard as he felt his younger brother's eyes on the back of his neck. Her words were like daggers and the moment she said it was the moment he remembered pulling her off his rack in Hell. After decades serving time and refusing to give in, she was eventually passed down to him. He sucked in a shallow breath when she took a step forward, his mind flashing memories of her in Hell and the damage he’d done. All he could see was her flesh marred with cuts and her blond hair stained red with blood.

"You were the one that gave me the choice, you were the one that did what all the others couldn't." She continued, her voice barely above the sound of the rumbling thunder. "I lasted decades longer than you did Dean, decades...."

"You don't know the things Alastair did to me." Dean defended, swallowing the lump that was caught in his throat as he thought back to his time spent at the hands of Alastair. "You don't..."

"You were his student." She interrupted, before leaning in to whisper in his ear. "And by the time he was done with you, you were just as twisted, so believe me darlin’ I know..." There was a moment of silence and as she pulled away, she caught his eyes. "They use to fear you when you were down below... now they fear me."

Sam took a deep breath as he watched Dean's eyes drift away from her stare. Just like the confrontation with Castiel, it was almost as if words alone were now enough to bring Dean to his knees. He was about to step in but quickly reconsidered as he watched the smirk suddenly appear to the corner of his older brother's lips.

"Are you done?" Dean snapped, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Because I have a contract to sign and things to do before I join Lucifer and get my title back." He paused as her eyes instantly narrowed. "Oh, haven't you heard sweetheart? Part of the agreement was that I get my ranking back and all that goes with it. That includes your title if you're the one that filled the space I left when I was pulled from the pit. So your job might be to escort us around and make sure the angels stay off our backs, but mine is to lead an army of demons into war while Lucifer puts Michael back in his place."

"Do you have any idea how many souls want you dead?" Bela continued, her tone of voice low. "They don't all agree with the free pass you got when you were pulled from the pit."

"Do you have any idea how many of them I broke?" Dean replied without hesitation. "There's a reason I'm willingly going back to Hell, Bela."

"You might fool them, but you're not fooling me and before this is over you'll realize that you can't fool yourself either." She said as she tucked her blade away. "Go gather your discount outcast angels, Lucifer will come find you soon enough." With that said she simply vanished into thin air, leaving the brothers standing alone in front of their car, an awkward silence suddenly filling the space between them.

When lightning lit up the sky and thunder made the ground beneath their feet shake, Sam turned to face the other man; his promise about not asking questions starting to look like more of a regret than anything else. "Dean, you never told me that you saw Bela in Hell."

"It was years ago, Sammy." Dean started, his eyes drifting down to the body of angels on the ground at their feet. "Some things I remember and some things I don't." He paused for only a moment as he tried to think of his place in Hell. "It's almost like the closer we get, the more there is to trigger my thoughts..." He continued, pulling the keys from the ignition of the car. "Sam I swear, I didn't remember seeing her in Hell."

"What about those Hell Hounds?" Sam asked as they started to make their way back towards Bobby's house. "Is that what you saw when your deal came due?" He took quick glance over but the other man only offered a nod, his eyes closing briefly at the mention of the beasts. "Why couldn't I see them before?"

"I think it's part of joining Hell." Dean replied simply "Now that we're on their side, we're starting to see what they do." Times had changed and everything he thought he knew about Heaven and Hell had been turned around. He was willingly going back to Hell to fight alongside everything he and his brother had once set out to destroy, and at his side were two angels that had turned their backs on all they knew. Now that Bela was in the mix, claiming to be the one sent out to watch over his little motley crew, the reality of it all was starting to sink in. As they approached the house and spotted Bobby standing by a burning oil drum near one of the many garages, Dean couldn't help but take a quick glance to the man at his side. "What's he doing?" He asked simply as they continued to make their way over.

"Burning the wings." Sam replied, pausing in his steps as his older brother came to a sudden stop.  
  
"He's what?"

"Burning Castiel's wings." Sam replied quietly, swallowing the lump caught in his throat as he watched his older brother's eyes focus on the oil drum Bobby was standing by.

"How is that even possible?" Dean was quick to ask, watching in awe as sparks shot up into the sky, among them, a white feather caught in the rising hot air. "I thought they weren't, you know, physically real?"

"Well the way Gabriel explained it." Sam started. "When an angel has full possession of their vessel, when there's nothing human left about it, their wings become something that's as real as the skin they're walking around in." He paused for only a moment as the sight of Gabriel taking a blade to Castiel's wings flashed in the back of his mind. It was something he couldn't quite describe or explain to his brother and it was something he knew he would never witness again. "You should have seen them, Dean." He continued as he caught the other man's eyes. "Cas sort of flexed his shoulders and all of a sudden, there they were... it was just breath taking. It's hard to put into words."  
  
"He shouldn't have done that." Dean replied, his tone of voice low as his gaze drifted back towards Bobby and the burning drum.  
  
"I agree, but I somehow doubt he's regretting it..."

Dean let out a heavy sigh as he watched the sparks continue to shoot up into the sky, knowing what Bobby was burning put a knot in the pit of his stomach. "You go on inside, I'll be right in." He said to his brother as he started to make his way over towards the veteran hunter. Sucking in a breath as he approached, he took notice of the machete in Bobby's right hand and the dark pieces of cloth in his left. "How's Cas doing?" He asked simply, his own eyes instantly drawn to the fire burning in front of them. It was like watching a car crash; he didn't want to see it but at the same time, he just couldn't bring himself to look away. To his surprised, the remnants of flesh, bone and feather burned better than he thought they would have.

"Gabriel said he'll be fine." Bobby started as he wiped the blood from his blade with the cloth and then tossed it into the fire. "Tell ya the truth boy, he seemed alot more worried about you joining Hell than he did about Cas turning in his wings."

"He’s a little too late to worry about what I do with my life, don’t you think?" Dean replied, watching as the feathers burned like pages of a book; one by one until they were reduced to nothing more than ash.

"I know you’re still angry at the angels but give Gabriel a break here; he’s not like them and I’m sure he left his post with good reason." Bobby stated, waiting for the other man to catch his eyes before he continued. "All I’m saying, is that I think you should at least give him a second chance... you gave Castiel that much."

"It’s different with Cas." Dean was quick to reply, his tone of voice low.

"How is it different with..."

"It just is, Bobby." Dean growled, instantly silencing the other man. "Look, Gabe knew what he was getting into and he bailed years ago... So I hate to say it, but it’s a little too late for him to try and put this freight train back on its track."

"He may be a little late but at least he’s trying and that’s all that matters right now." Bobby said, letting out a frustrated sigh as he watched the other man shake his head. "He’s an Archangel, Dean." The veteran hunter pleaded, his tone of voice dropping with his choice of words. "One of the few that’s actually on our side and even he doesn’t think you should be doing this..."

"Doing what?" Dean was quick to reply, catching the older man’s eyes for only a moment before focusing on the burning barrel. "Doing everything I can to make sure Heaven doesn’t win this war and kill us all?" He asked, pausing as a crackle of sparks suddenly shot up into the sky. "Well Gabe can join the club because I know he’s not the only one who doesn’t agree with me on this one." He said as he turned to make his way back towards the house.

"When the only weapon you have against either side is that gun of yours." Bobby bluntly started, his words forcing Dean to pause in his steps. "I hope you remember who taught you how to kill Angels with it..."

Dean held the veteran hunter’s eyes for a moment before turning and making his way back towards the house; his thoughts swirling around what the other man had just said about Gabriel deserving a second chance. He took a deep breath as he climbed the back steps, curious but unsure of what he would find inside and what lay ahead in the wake of it all. When his eyes caught the movement of a silky white feather stuck in the floor boards of the porch, he couldn't help but come to a stop. Aside from their shadow against the wall or the outline scorched into the ground, he hadn't actually ever seen an angel's wings. Reaching down to pick it up, he felt his heart sink like a stone; just the fact that Castiel had practically begged him to cut the wings off his back, showed him how far the angel was willing to go to help stop the Apocalypse they had all been tricked into. Though the feather fluttered furiously in the breeze, he refused to let it go; passing it between his fingers to wipe off a streak of blood before tucking it into his shirt pocket and continuing inside.

Reaching the bathroom, Dean stood in the doorway and watched as Gabriel used nothing but his bare hands to close a large gash in the back of Castiel's left shoulder. The other angel stood hunched over the sink his hands clutching the bowl and the pain clearly visible on his face as his eyes stayed shut tight. In the blink of an eye, the gash was gone without so much as a mark in the flesh where the wing had once been. From the reflection in the mirror he could also tell that the gash in the angel's abdomen was gone, but unlike the ones on his back, a large scar marked the spot where Castiel had taken his host’s life.

"Time to go?" Lost in his own thoughts, Dean offered no reply. "Is it time to go?" Castiel asked again, pulling the young hunter's attention away from his mirrored reflection as he released his grip on the sink.

Dean took a deep breath as the pair turned slightly to face him. "Yeah, anytime now." He said simply, watching as Gabriel wiped the blood from his blade on a towel and then tuck his weapon of choice away. Though knowing that Gabriel had forsaken his role to watch over him, left a bitter taste in his mouth; Dean couldn’t deny the fact that the Archangel hadn’t completely turned his back on everything. He had after all, helped him and his brother get back on track in their bid to stop the Apocalypse. When the archangel paused and put a hand out to steady himself, Dean couldn’t help but notice the moment of weakness. "You alright, Gabe?" He asked softly, watching as his eyes momentarily closed. "Maybe you should sit down."

"I’m fine." Gabriel growled, letting out a sigh as he put a hand up to his forehead, well aware that the other man was watching him carefully. "Doing stuff like this just takes more out of me than it use to.."

There was a moment of silence as Dean watched Gabriel turn on the cold water to rinse his face, Bobby’s words about giving him a chance still circling his head. "Gabe I just want you to know that I’m sorry."

"For what, striking a deal that could kill us all?" The archangel replied frankly, shutting off the water and grabbing a clean towel from the rack nearby. "Or showing the soft spot you have for the angel who pulled you from Hell."

"For yelling at you last night." Dean explained. "I lost my temper and I just..."

"You had every right to be angry." Gabriel was quick to interrupt. "Heck, you found out you were related to dick with wings last night. Who wouldn’t be upset."

"Yeah but I shouldn’t have been angry at you for it." Dean continued sheepishly, catching the archangel’s eyes. "You may have bailed years ago but your back now." He paused for only a moment as his gaze drifted over to Castiel. "And Cas... Thanks for giving me another shot."

"You can thank me when it's over." Castiel replied as he buttoned his shirt.

"I must say I'm impressed, already you have not one but two angels at your side...."

Dean closed his eyes for only a second before turning his attention from Gabriel and Castiel to Lucifer that was now standing behind him in the doorway. "Midnight already?" He asked as he turned to face the Devil, his gaze momentarily drifting over to Sam who was now in the hallway.

"Time to go boys." Lucifer replied giving Dean a smile as he snapped his fingers and brought all four men down to Hell with him. Though the angels were unaffected by the sudden change, it took a moment for the brothers to catch their breath. In the blink of an eye, they had gone from the safety of Bobby's house to the depths of Hell. The Devil couldn't help but grin as he watched Sam's eyes scan the large rundown warehouse they were in. "Let me guess, you're wondering where all the fire and brimstone are..." When the other man gave him a nod, he couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "What you see depends on why you're here." He started simply, pointing to the large room around them. "Those serving time, like your brother did, don't exactly see what you’re seeing right now, isn’t that right Dean?"

"This place is one screwed up illusion." Dean cut in, getting his younger brother's attention away from the Devil. "It's all in your head but it's so real, you can touch and feel it."

"It isn't too late to reconsider." Lucifer cooed.

"I won't change my mind." Dean replied sternly, his eyes focusing on a piece of paper in the Devil's hands. "Your brothers need to know that we're not going down without a fight." When Lucifer reached out to hand him the contract, the young hunter sucked in a breath. This was it and there was no turning back as he put his name down on the dotted line. Just like the two renegade angels standing at his side, he too had just ripped out and thrown away of little piece of himself.

"Welcome home..." Lucifer said with a smile, the tone of his voice bitter sweet to all those involved.

"Where do we start." Dean asked, handing the contract back to the Devil.

"Well as you noticed, we've already made our presence known." Lucifer started, folding the contract and tucking it away. "What I need you to do now, is take out a few angels while I try to find Michael."

"What do you mean, while you try to find Michael?" Dean was quick to reply. "Twenty four hours ago, I couldn't keep the angels off my back and now you're telling me you don't know where he is?"

"Oh I'll find him, don't you worry about that." Lucifer reassured. "When I do, I'll give him one last chance to back down."

"That's more than I'd give him." Gabriel muttered under his breath, passing a hand over his face as Lucifer caught his eyes.

"Everyone deserves a second chance." The Devil said quietly. "And if Michael refuses to call the angels back, then we're unfortunately all going to war." He paused for only a moment as his gaze drifted back to the hunters in front of him. "As you already found out, the angels are now more than just a little angry with all of you... they want you dead. Which is why I arranged for you to have a full escort." When he took a quick glance to his side and Bela suddenly appeared, Dean couldn't help but let out a groan.

"Is she seriously the best you’ve got?" He asked almost drily

"She was your student." Lucifer calmly replied. "And the best suited for this task.... One other thing, I’m also going to be splitting you up for now; Gabriel and Sam are going to be going back to the surface while you and Castiel are going to be staying down here..."

"You never said anything about splitting us up." Dean growled.

"You never asked to stay together." Lucifer replied simply. "Don't worry, Bela will watch over little Sammy for you... you're needed down here."

Before Sam could say a word, he and Gabriel were back in Bobby's house as if nothing had happened. He swore under his breath as he took a quick glance around, Dean and Castiel were no where in sight. "Damn it, Dean." He muttered to himself, his gaze catching Gabriel’s eyes before focusing on Bela as she leaned back against the wall behind her.

* * *

 Back in Hell, Dean swore under his breath as Lucifer offered a smile. "Why did you split us up?" He asked, his tone of voice demanding an answer.

"Relax." The Devil calmly replied. "They're in good hands and you'll join them before you know it." He paused for only a moment as he watched the other man's eyes narrow slightly. "Look, I did it for Sam's sake, alright?" He continued, reaching into his pocket to pull out a rusty key. "So that he wouldn't have to see what you were doing while you were serving your time here in Hell." Dean reluctantly reached out to take the key from Lucifer's hands. "You wanted all you had when you were pulled from the pit, well here you go... just as it was when you left it."

Dean turned the small key in his hand as he let his mind drift back through the years. "This is the key to my chamber, isn't it?" He quietly asked.

"Dean, we caught up to Zachariah when the demons raided a small town overtaken by angels. Michael wasn’t with him." Lucifer started, watching as the other man’s eyes drifted back up to meet his gaze. "But you're the one who's going to get him to tell me, where Michael is."


	9. So what if you can see, the darker side of me?

"Why did Lucifer split us up!" Sam demanded, turning to the woman that had followed them out of Hell. "Why did he want to keep Dean and Cas down below!"

"You're going to have to ask him that, not me." Bela replied, instantly silencing as the other man pushed her up against the wall.

"Now you listen to me." Sam snarled, holding her in place. "We're not playing games anymore. We have a few days to find and stop Michael before he and his angels wipe us off the face of the earth, before Michael and Lucifer got to war!"

"What are you so worried about." She started, showing no fear at all as the other man towered over her. "Even if this does go to war, you're not among those that are going to die... You're with Hell now and you’re as good as a demon."

"I am not a demon." Sam hissed, his grip tightening when she reached up to put her hands on his arm. "We only joined Lucifer to put Michael back in his place, before this gets out of hand."

"It's already gotten out of hand." She said softly. "Like it not, Michael won't back down, his angels are going to continue their killing spree and there will be a war."

Gabriel swallowed hard as he eyed the Hell hounds that turned the corner at the end of the hall. "Uh, Sam." He started, reaching out to tap the other man on the shoulder. "Maybe you should let her go before the bitch tears ya a new one." He said, reaching for the gun that Dean had passed him. When Sam turned slightly to catch the archangel's eyes, he spotted the large dogs and instantly released his grip on the woman.

"You didn't really think I came alone, did you?" She asked with a smirk, her tone of voice pulling the other man's eyes away from the beast down the hall. "Lucifer knows what he's doing and I'm sure he has good reason to split you up." She explained, her gaze drifting from one man to the other. "You made a deal, and you're just going to have to trust him."

"Dean made a deal." Sam was quick to reply. "My trust is with Dean, not Lucifer."

"Well that's going to have to change." She continued, pausing for only a moment as thunder growled overhead. "Believe me, Sam I had my doubts about him too." She said, her tone softening ever so slightly. "But Lucifer isn’t exactly the devil the angels made him out to be. It’s his demons that give him the bad reputation and it’s their human nature, or what’s left of it, that makes them so malicious... He’s nothing like the demons in his control."

"You sound like a schoolgirl with a crush..." Gabriel said, pulling her attention away from Sam for only a moment. "Sorry to say, but I think he’s out of your league sister."

When Bela reached for the blade that was strapped to her side, Sam reached out to pull the archangel away from her. "What do you mean Bela?" He asked, shoving Gabriel behind him and getting a hold of the conversation before it turned deadly. "Lucifer was cast out of Heaven because he refused to put mankind first, because he..."  
  
"Yeah and the angels are here to keep you safe..." Bela cut in, her eyes drifting over the other man’s shoulder to catch Gabriel’s for only a moment. "I know the story Sam, everyone who believes in God has their own version, but take a good hard look at what’s going on around you; you can’t tell me that you still believe everything you’ve been told on the matter..."

"Not all of them have gone rogue." Gabriel defended. "They’re just following orders."

"Out of fear Michael is going to cast them out too." Bela continued. "Tell me Gabriel, when you were proud to be one of them, did you ever dare doubt what big brother said about anything? Or did you keep your head down, your mouth shut and follow along just like the rest of them?" She paused for only a moment as she watched his eyes drift down to the floor. "As far as I’m concerned, Lucifer’s done nothing wrong and the only reason he was thrown into Hell in the first place, was to keep the other angels in line... They’ll do whatever Michael tells them to now, because if Michael could cast his closest brother out of Heaven, he certainly wouldn’t think twice about doing it to them... Fear is a powerful tool."

"Sorry Bela, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to trust him like you do." Sam replied, his gaze darting to the Hell hounds down the hall. "After everything he’s done to..."

"See that’s the thing." She cooed. "Lucifer hasn’t actually done anything to deserve this cold shoulder from you or your brother.... He isn’t like his demons and when he was down below, he had no control over the lucky ones that got to walk among you..."

"They did much more than just walk among us, Bela." Sam growled, feeling his anger start to rise as he listened to her defend the Devil himself. Lucifer’s demons were responsible for the death of his mother and girlfriend, the deal John made to save his brother, the deal Dean made to save him and the years of torture both had endured in Hell. Because of Azazel, he has demon blood, because of Ruby, he’d been lead astray and because of Alastair, Dean was no longer the same man. "I’ll do whatever we have too to stop Heaven." He stated, his tone of voice low. "But don’t downplay the role Lucifer had, in making our lives a living Hell."

"Oh sweetheart you haven’s seen Hell just yet." Bela calmly replied. "But when you do catch a glimpse, be sure to thank the angels that made it all possible. Oh and FYI, the knife you carry around, the one that Ruby bitch always had on her, it didn’t come from down below, it came from Heaven. They gave it to her so she could make sure other demons didn’t get in the way of their end game." She paused for only a moment as she let her words sink, the silence shattered by the thunder that made the house around them shake. "Just though you should know. Now we have work to do, so gather your weapons, get one last good night’s sleep and meet me in Scythe come sun up."

"The sun hasn’t come up around theses parts for days." Gabriel added, shrugging when Sam glanced over his shoulder to catch his eyes. "Well it’s true."

"Don’t be late or you’re on your own." Bela replied without missing a beat.

When the sound of footsteps on the stairs caught their attention, both Sam and Gabriel turned on the spot, surprised to see that the Hell hounds were gone.

"Where the Hell have you been!?" Bobby hollered as he reached the top of the stairs, shotgun in hand. "I know you had a date with the Devil but I didn't think all four of you would be going under!" He paused for only a moment as the pair took a quick look behind them. "I thought I heard you talking to someone else." He started, looking passed the two at the open bathroom door behind them.

"We were talking to someone else." Sam was quick to reply. "Remember Bela?"

"Yeah, she took the Colt right out from under your nose." Bobby said, bringing the shotgun down to his side. "What about her?"

"Yeah well, she's watching over us to make sure the angels don't jump us." Sam explained, his eyes scanning the hall for any sign of the woman or her Hell hounds. "So if you do see her, resist the urge to shoot."

There was a moment of silence as Bobby carefully eyed the pair. "You're joking right?" He started, swearing under his breath as Sam shook his head. "Where's your brother and Cas?" He finally asked.

When Sam hesitated, Gabriel cleared his throat. "In Hell." He replied, pulling the veteran hunter's attention away from the other man at his side. "Seems old Lucifer had other plans for Dean so now we're stuck together and they're stuck in the pit." The archangel quickly explained. "Not to worry though, surely things can’t get any worse..."

When Bobby looked over, Sam did what he could just to avoid his eyes. "If we all come out of this alive." He growled, his tone of voice low. "I swear I'm going to kill ya myself..." He paused for only a moment as Sam finally caught his eyes. "This deal of yours is going to keep changing until Lucifer gets what he wants from you. It was a bad plan right from the start and you knew it, Sam. YOU KNEW IT!"

"It's not a bad plan until it fails." The younger man replied, swallowing hard as Bobby stared him down.

"Then for his sake and yours." Bobby growled, unable to keep his frustration from surfacing any longer. "You better. make sure it doesn't fail.".

* * *

Dean turned the rusty key in his hand as he made his way across the old warehouse floor. It was a path he walked many times before, but one he hadn't walked in years. Demons hurried to get out of his way as others kept their distance, showing him that after all those years, they still feared him. "Hey Cas, there’s something I wanted to ask you..." He started, taking a quick glance at the disgraced angel by his side. "Did you know I was Sam’s Guardian Angel when you yanked me out of here?"

There was a moment of silence as Castiel tried to gauge the other man’s reaction to the news that everyone around him knew the truth behind his true identity, except him. "Yes, I did." He finally replied, unable to lessen yet another blow to the young hunter’s trust. "I didn’t..."

"No need to explain, Cas. I just wanted to know." Dean interrupted, sucking in a shallow breath as they reached the large steel door. He studied it for a moment before forcing the key into the lock and turning it against the rust and grime to unlock it. "Here we go..." He said simply, pushing the large door open and stepping inside, leaving Castiel in the doorway. The lights flickered a few times before staying on to illuminate a hell all of its own. Though the memories of the place were hazy for Dean, they were crystal clear for the angel that had pulled him from damnation and they still cut him to the core. When Dean’s eyes focused on the outline of at least four sets of wings scorched across the floor and walls, he couldn't help but feel sick to his stomach. "Cas, did I do this?" He asked, his words barely coming together as he studied the grisly scene; trying his best to remember what had happened the day Castiel had come for him.

"Your minions did." The angel replied simply, reluctantly stepping foot into the room. "When we came for you, you had an army at your beck & call and they didn’t exactly let you go without a fight."

Dean swallowed the lump that was caught in his throat as he made his way over the mess that covered the floor. A steel tray lay on its side near the middle, every shape and size of blade strewn across the floor nearby. Heavy chains and hooks hung from the ceiling above, the drain in the floor below them stained and crusted with what he could only assume was dry blood; and lots of it. "Cas, why can’t I remember any of this?" He asked quietly. "I know I tortured souls in Hell, I know it happened, so why can I only remember bits and pieces of those years?"

"When Alastair broke you, he took a piece of your humanity, of your soul, that you might never get back." Castiel quietly started. "You regret what you’ve done and as a result you’ve repressed those memories; you only remember what you want to, but you know the wounds are there." He paused for only a moment as his gaze drifted down to a rusty, blood stained Sickle on the ground in front of him. "Some of your cuts are so deep, it may take years for those memories to surface, that is if they ever surface at all..." He continued, looking back up to catch the other man’s eyes. "Trust me Dean, none of those memories are worth remembering anyhow."

"Cas, I need to know what happened that day." Dean started, his voice bouncing off the walls around them. "All I remember is waking up in my own grave, I just need to know what happened here... How many angels came for me?"

"There were five of us." Castiel replied frankly, watching as the young hunter’s eyes studied the remnants of wings scorched across the walls and floor around them. "They held your minions off the best they could while I grabbed a hold of you and pulled you out of here."

There was a moment of silence as Dean closed his eyes, desperately trying to piece together his past. Even though he stood in the same room with the same angel at his side, he couldn’t recall the day he had been pulled from Hell. When a knock at the door caught his attention, he turned on the spot.

"Sir, the angel is bound and ready for you in the other room." The demon started, avoiding all eye contact with Dean as he stood in the doorway. "I was told to let you know."

Dean sucked in a breath as he pulled a blade from the side of his belt. "Wait in the hall, I’ll be out in a minute." He replied, watching as the demon gave him a nod and stepped out of the room. He let out a sigh as he passed a finger along the side of the blade and over the Sigil that now graced its handle.

"This isn’t right." Castiel quietly started, pulling the other man’s attention away from the blade in his hands.

"It wasn’t right when you made me do it to Alastair either." Dean was quick to reply.

"I was wrong when I put you up to it." Castiel interrupted. "I realize that now. When I saw you pick up that blade and turn towards him... the hatred I saw in your eyes, the malice..."

"Cas you might not like where this is going, but you knew where it was heading before you decided to tag along." Dean cut in, his tone of voice low.

"I was angry." Castiel replied simply. "And what I said was irrational."

"We need to find Michael and we need to stop Heaven, any way that we can." Dean continued, watching as the angel’s eyes drifted down to the blade in his hand. "If this is what it’ll take to get a straight answer out of Zachariah, then I’m sorry, but this is what I’ve got to do."

Castiel swallowed hard as he watched the young hunter make his way towards the door and the demon that was waiting for him out in the hall. "Just don’t forget the reason you’re doing it." He started solemnly, stopping the other man in his tracks for only a moment.

Dean followed the demon down the hall, his grip on the blade tightening slightly as he let Castiel’s voice circle in his head; mixing and tangling with Sam, Bobby and even Gabriel’s opinion on the matter. Deep down he knew it was wrong, but after everything Zachariah had put him through, all he really wanted was a taste of revenge, something to ease the world of pain on his shoulders. When they reached the large steel doors and he peered inside to see Zachariah strung up in chains, he couldn’t help but let the smile creep up to the corner of his lips. The superior angel stood with his feet just barely touching the ground, his hands bound by chains high above his head and a strange Sigil etched into the ground beneath him. His black overcoat lay on the floor nearby and his white shirt was torn open at the front, revealing another Sigil carved right into his chest.

Like an addict trying to recover in the worst of times, the sight alone was enough to draw him back into a state of mind he thought he’d be strong enough to put behind him for good. Though he would never admit it to another soul, his years spent in Hell, after he was pulled off the rack, were some of the easiest of his life. He had never felt so in control, so in charge of everything around him and standing there outside the large steel door, he could hardly wait to feel that way again, if only for a moment. "What’s the symbol in his chest for?" He asked, his eyes never leaving the captured angel.

"It’s to keep him bound to his human vessel, sir." The demon was quick to reply. "He’s a prisoner in his own host."

"Cas, is that true?" The young hunter asked, taking a quick glance over his shoulder.

"Yes, and it will also prevent him from making use of Heaven’s powers." Castiel replied quietly. "He’s completely at your mercy." There was a short moment of silence as Dean offered a nod, his gaze drifting back into the room at the angel awaiting his tactics.

"If you don’t succeed in getting an answer from him." The demon started, breaking the awkward silence. "We have also captured nearly a dozen or so members of his entourage.

Dean nodded again as he let out a sigh. "Alright thank you." He managed as he watched the demon turn away, never once having caught his eyes. There was another moment of silence and as he passed the blade from his left hand to the right, thoughts of what his brother would have to say about this scorched his conscious. "Cas, I think it’s better if you just wait out here." He started softly without looking over. "I don’t really want you to see this."

"I had no intention of joining you." Castiel curtly replied. "Because I don’t want to see you do this."

Dean pushed the large door open and stepped into the room, the sound of it screeching on its hinges echoing down the hall. When he pushed the door shut, he turned the lock and pulled the plate down to cover the small window opening. Standing with his back to the room he quickly collected his thoughts; right and wrong were now the same and only he knew just how fine that line he walked really was. There was a part of him that wanted nothing to do with any of this, but another part of him that was anticipating the sight of Zachariah’s blood on his blade, trickling onto the floor at his feet. It was the control and power that he craved and tonight, he was going to get what he wanted. When he turned to face the angel, the smug smile he hated so much was the very first thing he noticed.

"Oh how the mighty have fallen, am I right?" Zachariah started, his voice bouncing off the walls around them. "Had I known you were going to sink this low, I would have just left you where we found you in the first place."

"Maybe you should have." Dean was quick to reply, casually making his way over towards the angel strung up in the middle of the room. His footsteps echoed deep inside and though he relished the moment, he knew each step he took was another nail in his coffin... His only regret; acknowledging the fact that he no longer cared enough to stop himself from doing this. With his morals and conscious locked away somewhere safe, he came to a stop in front of Zachariah and carefully set his sharp blade down on a tray nearby. "Alright I’m going to make this very simple." He started, removing his leather jacket and tossing it onto a steel table off to the side. "You either tell me where Michael is and I finish you off real quick, or you don’t tell me and I take my time." There was a short moment of silence as he rolled up his sleeves, letting the angel in front of him gauge his bleak options. "It’s your choice but either way, I’m going to get an answer out of you." He continued, reaching over to pick up his blade.

"What are you going to do, Dean?" Zachariah asked, his permanent smirk still plastered to the corner of his lips. "Torture an angel of the Lord?’

"I will if I have to." Dean replied frankly, taking a step forward to close the little distance there was between them. Using the large blade in his hand, he reached out to move aside a shred of the angel’s shirt, taking a better look at the Sigil that had been carved right into his chest. "If I have to cut, carve and bleed you until you tell me where Michael is, then I’m going to do it." He said, his tone of voice laced with malice as he ran the back of the blade over the markings that were holding the angel prisoner. "I’m going to get what I came for..." He declared as he caught the angel’s eyes. "And I’m going to enjoy every single moment."

"You know, it’s nice to see that your true colors are finally starting to come through..." Zachariah cooed, his eyes never leaving those of the young hunter in front of him. "The part of you that’s an angel, is just as wicked and twisted as the rest of us..."

Dean didn’t hesitate as he took that first slash, instantly silencing the angel as his sharp blade slid through the flesh with ease. "I’m not one of you." He hissed, his menacing tone of voice piercing the moment of silence between them.

Zachariah winced slightly as the blood started seeping from the deep gash in his right side. "Unfortunately you are." He continued softly, grinning through the pain of a second slash right to his rib cage. "You can deny it all you want little brother but that won’t make it any less the truth." He paused for only a moment as he struggled to catch his breath. "Dean, I can see right through that charade you’re putting on... I see how broken you are, how lost and empty you feel." The angel continued, sucking in a ragged breath. "You failed your one and only purpose in life and now it’s eating you up inside. You’re pathetic Dean, even you don’t think you deserve the air in your lungs."

"You know nothing about me." Dean said simply, his gaze drifting down to the blood soaked blade in his hand and the puddle that was gathering on the ground at his feet.

" I know that you’re giving into everything you’ve always hated about yourself." Zachariah continued, bracing himself as Dean’s blade sliced into his shoulder. "You’re such a lire; claiming to do all of this for the good of mankind when all you really want is the chance to spill some blood... This isn’t about stopping the Apocalypse... this is about you wanting to get even."

There was a moment of silence as Dean watched Zachariah struggle to catch his breath. The angel already seemed to be in distress and he was just getting started. "Now that you got all of that off your chest, why don’t you tell me where Michael is hiding so we can get this over with." He said as he reached out to drag the blade down the length of the angel’s arm. Watching as Zachariah squirmed under the sharp edge, Dean couldn’t help but let the sinister smile creep up to the corner of his lips. "Where’s Michael hiding." He asked a second time, his low tone of voice echoing eerily in the room around them. When the angel’s gaze drifted down to the floor, he used the tip of his blade to lift Zachariah’s chin back; forcing him to catch his eyes. "Where’s Michael hiding."

The angel let out a soft chuckle as he tilted his head back and lifted his chin up off the blade. "Michael isn’t hiding." He started, swallowing hard as he tried to manage the pain surging through his body. "He’s waiting for the right moment to strike."

"Where is he, Zachariah?" Dean asked, watching as the angel struggled against his restraints.

"Like I’m going to tell you." The angel hissed through clenched teeth, sucking in a breath as Dean put the blade up to his throat. "Go ahead, I know you want to do it." He pushed, holding the young hunter’s eyes as he felt the sharpened edge of the silver blade press into his flesh. "I hope you know that you’re doing all of this for nothing.... Even if you do stop the Apocalypse and save the world, you’ll never get your life back. Dean, your life ended the moment John Winchester put Sam in your arms that night."

* * *

Castiel leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes as the screams echoed in his head, drifting through the illusion of an old warehouse that was Hell. Just thinking of what Dean might be doing to his former superior made his blood run cold. This was a mistake, one Dean might never recover from once he got a taste of what he left behind. Though he hated the angel for all the years of deception, torture at the hands of a spiteful man hell bent to break even wasn’t at all what he considered fair punishment. When the screaming stopped and silence was restored, Castiel couldn’t help but take a deep breath, only hopping that they had gotten the answer they had come for. His eyes flew open as the large steel door unlatched. Dean stood in the doorway, his blade dripping with blood as Zachariah’s body hung limp in the background, the heavy chains now holding his full weight. "Did he tell you?" Castiel asked quietly, disgusted with the scene in front of him.

Dean shook his head as he wiped the blood from his blade with a shred of Zachariah’s white shirt. "No." He replied simply, his gaze drifting over to the demon that approached. "Take him down and bring in the next one." He said with authority as he pointed the demon into the room. When he turned his attention back to Castiel, he quickly changed his tone. "I couldn’t get a straight answer out of the son of a bitch... Maybe I’ll have better luck with the next one."

Castiel didn’t say a word as he watched the other man step back into the room, right back into a life he had saved him from a few years ago. Even if they did find Michael and even if he called back his angels and stopped the Apocalypse, Dean was well beyond the point of being saved this time around.

 


	10. Wanted dead or alive

Sam’s grip on the steering wheel tightened as Gabriel fiddled with the radio buttons on the dashboard between them. "You know, Dean’s gonna kill you for messing around with that." He started, his eyes staying on the road ahead of them as they made their way to Scythe to meet up with Bela.

"He’s got other shit to worry about." Gabriel replied as he scrolled through the static filled stations. "Besides, even if the signal was clear, I don’t think this piece of crap would pick up anything anyway..." He muttered, turning his attention back to the scorched scenery that was flying by his window. "You should let your brother know that the tape era is dead and just like 8-track tapes, it ain't coming back any time soon."

Sam let out a heavy sigh as he tried to keep pessimistic thoughts at bay. While he wondered why Bela wanted them to meet her in Scythe and why Lucifer had separated him from Dean; he worried about how his older brother was holding up in Hell and what it would all mean in the end. The closer they got to Scythe, the more noticeable the damage was. Trees lining the road were no longer green and the center line marking the pavement was barely visible through the thick lair of ash and soot. Though a few farmhouses dotted the outskirts of town, there was no sign of life.

"I don’t get it." Gabriel suddenly started, once again breaking the awkward silence that filled the car. "Why are we going to Scythe anyway?"

"Because Bela told us to." Sam replied simply.

"So now you’re just going to do whatever she tells you?" Gabriel asked, sinking into the leather seat.

"I will if it keeps us alive." The young hunter muttered, doing all he could not to butt heads with the archangel riding shotgun. "Her job is to watch over us." When the scorched sign welcoming them to Scythe came into view, he couldn’t help but swear under his breath. "Holy crap." He breathed, slowing down as he maneuvered the Impala between abandoned cars that sat dormant on the road leading them into the now desolate town. The further in they went, the more catastrophic it was.

"You think this is bad?" Gabriel asked, glancing over for only a moment. "Wait till you see the downtown core..."

When Sam pulled up to a dead tree that was down across the road, he casually put the Impala in park and pulled the keys from the ignition. "Well, I guess we’re walking." He announced, looking over to catch the archangel’s eyes.

"You’re kidding right?" Gabriel started, watching as the other man got out of the car. "C’mon Sam, this isn’t exactly a good neighborhood to go out for a Sunday stroll..." He continued, reluctantly joining the young hunter.

"What’s wrong, you scared?" Bela asked, letting out a slight chuckle as both turned to face her.

Sam wasted no time getting to the point. "We’re here, so tell us why you wanted us to meet you." He started, pulling Bela’s attention away from the archangel as he made his way over to the trunk of the Impala. "Where do we start." He continued, opening the latch to load up on guns and ammunition.

"We need to figure out why some of the angels stayed behind." Bela replied, watching as Sam and Gabriel grabbed every weapon they could conceal and carry. "You see that movie theater?" She asked, pointing the pair to a large building just up the street. "Everything beyond that building is nothing but ash burned into the ground. There is at least five angels holding up inside and though we’ve got the place surrounded, there’s no way we can catch them by surprise."

"Doesn’t your demon army outnumber them?" Sam asked, eyeing the theater and taking notice of the vacant buildings that spanned the block between them and their target. Though the buildings were still standing, all the windows had been blown out and all the walls were scorched black. "I mean there’s five of them and hundreds if not thousands of you." He continued, grabbing a flashlight from the trunk.

"There’s a bunch of ancient spells and sigils carved out all over the walls." Bela started, pausing for only a moment as lightning lit up the sky. "The demons can’t even step foot in the building. We’ve taken angels down by the dozen but we haven’t come across anything quite like this before... Almost looks like they locked themselves in."

"Gabriel, what are the odds that they’ve got Michael in there with them?" Sam asked, his gaze drifting from Bela to the archangel at his side.

"Not very good." Gabriel was quick to reply. "If Michael was hiding out somewhere, I doubt he’d have an entourage of only five with him."

"Well whatever the reason, we need to get in and find out why they’re still here." Bela started, pulling out a long silver blade from the back of her coat. "And considering only the three of us and my hounds can get in, it’s going to be anything but easy."

"Where the Hell did you get that?" Gabriel started, leaning in to get a better look at the large weapon in the woman’s hands. "That almost looks like a Guardian Angel’s...."

"It is." She interrupted, instantly silencing the renegade angel in front of her. "One of the few there is."

Sam was about to ask how she had acquired such a blade but thought it would be in his best interest not to. Bela’s manipulative ways always did seem to get her what she wanted and there was no doubt in his mind that her new role in Hell was putting countless deals and opportunities right at her fingertips. "So what’s the attack plan?" He asked, the rumble of thunder echoing eerily through the ruins of the desolate town around them. "Are we sticking together or splitting up?"

"I think our best bet is to split up." Bela started her eyes drifting from one man to the other. "I’ll take the front, you two go around the back." Sam gave her a nod as he pulled the gun from the side of his belt. "Once inside, make your way up to the third floor, stay by the stairs and wait for my signal."

"What’s that going to be?" Sam asked, swearing under his breath as the crack of lightning shattered the sky above their heads. When a Hell hound suddenly stepped out from the other side of the Impala, his grip on the gun tightened slightly.

"He’ll know." Bela replied simply, pointing down to the hound as it took a seat by his feet. "When he leads, you follow." She informed, turning to make her way towards the theater. "Make it quick boys, we don’t have all day."

The trio hurried down the street and split up as planned when they reached the scorched shell of a building; Gabriel and Sam heading down an alley for the back while Bela casually made her way towards the front entrance. With the Hell hound trailing their every move, Sam couldn’t help but feel intimidated; the vicious beast that collected souls for a living may just as well have been the one that had come for Dean. When they turned off the street into an alley he paused in his steps, his eyes catching those of a small group of standing near the back entrance. On any other day he would have started firing the moment he caught their black eyes, but today, he was on their side and they had the same goal in mind. Stepping over trash and debris that littered the pavement, he made his way towards them, Gabriel and the Hell hound following closely. "Any sign of them?" He asked, watching as the demons lined up to face him and the Hell hound obediently took a seat by his side.

"No." One of them replied as he leaned forward to pull open the large door they had gathered around. "We can’t go inside, so if you run into any trouble at all, get out of there as fast as you can."

Sam gave the demon a nod before catching Gabriel’s eyes and quietly slipping into the back of the movie theater. Following the long hall, they made their way towards the front of the building, pausing as they reached an open door. Guns drawn, the pair stepped out into the larger open room, a lobby of some kind that branched off into the multiple theaters. Unsure of just what they might find lurking the darkness with them, they carefully studied their new surroundings with the limited illumination of a single flashlight. The first thing Sam noticed was that everything in sight was covered in a fine lair of soot, leaving him to wonder just what had happened the night Michael touched down. Though there were signs of intense heat, not everything had been completely incinerated or obliterated like the center of town had been; it was almost as if a shock wave or a wall of fire had rippled out like a drop of water moving along the surface. "OK, there are the stairs." He whispered, pointing Gabriel towards two open doors to their far left. "We make our way up and find a place to lay low until we get the signal."

"Why are you whispering?" Gabriel asked, pausing as the other man turned to face him; flashlight in hand. "They’re angels, Sam... There’s a pretty good chance they already know we’re here."

There was a moment of silence as Sam caught Gabriel’s eyes and let out a sigh. "If they don’t know, I’d rather not give it away." He growled as the continuous thunder rumbling overhead resonated eerily through the devastated room they were in. When he turned to make his way towards the stairs and walked into Castiel, he couldn’t help but swear under his breath. "Damn it Cas." He hissed, trying to calm his racing heart as Gabriel chuckled to himself. "You scared the shit out of me... You’re lucky I didn’t shoot you dead." He continued, using the flashlight to get a better look at the angel that had suddenly appeared.

"My apologies." Castiel replied simply, his eyes scanning the carnage surrounding them.

"Cas why are you here?" Sam was quick to ask, his mind instantly drifting to the depths of Hell and the brother he didn’t see there at Castiel’s side. "Why isn't Dean with you."

There was a moment of silence as Castiel looked over to catch the other man’s eyes; his heart sinking at the thought of what Dean was doing down below. "You’re brother is still needed in Hell." He replied simply.

Sam swallowed hard as he watched the angel’s eyes drift away from his stare, something wasn’t right. "Cas..." He started, his voice doing little to lift Castiel’s eyes off the floor at his feet. "What do they want with him?"

"Can we please have this conversation when we get the Hell out of here?" Gabriel cut in, hastily changing the subject as he pointed the young hunter towards the stairs across the room. "Right now, we need to get up there and back the bitch up."

There was a moment of silence as Sam’s gaze drifted from Castiel to Gabriel, the archangel’s dire warning now the only thing he could think of. "Right." He muttered, first looking down to the Hell hound at his side before looking up at the stairs across the room. "Alright, stay close and follow me." He said, trying to keep his focus on what they were doing and why they were there. Making their way over the clutter that covered the floor, Sam lead the way up the stairs, pausing on the second floor landing as the crack of lighting took him by surprise; splintering the silence and reminding them all that the fierce storm was nowhere near over. As they continued up to the third floor, his grip on the gun tightened as the Hell hound at his side let out a low growl. The first thing he noticed was the light coming through a crack in the closed door just down the hall; the second thing he noticed were the footprints on the soot covered floor in front of him. "She’s already up here." He whispered, glancing over his shoulder as Castiel pulled out his blade. When the Hell hound beside him let out another snarl and stepped out in front of him, he knew now was the time. "Here we go." He informed, following the beast right up to the door and watching as it walked right through it. Without hesitation, he loaded the gun and kicked open the door; the five angels inside instantly turning to face him. "Don’t move." He shouted, taking aim as the angels reached for their weapons.

The moment the door swung open was the moment Bela appeared at the back of the room. With her long blade in hand, she wasted no time killing the closest angel to her before the others even realized she was there. In the blink of an eye Sam watched nervously as one of the angels turned towards Bela and the remaining three set their sights on him and his renegades. He took aim with his gun but Gabriel was the first to pull the trigger; shooting dead one of the angels and stopping the other two in their tracks. "I said don’t move." He repeated, his gaze drifting over to Bela as she got the best of the angel she was fighting with and plunged her blade into his chest.

Taking aim at the remaining two, Sam stood his ground as Castiel and Gabriel moved to surround them. Now outnumbered and obviously surprised at how fast their brothers had gone down, the pair seemed ready to comply and do as they were told. "Drop the blades." He growled..

There was a moment of silence as the pair watched Gabriel reach over to grab their blades off the floor. "How did you kill an angel with..."

"We’re going to be asking the questions." Bela was quick to interrupt, instantly silencing the angel as she got their attention. "I want to know what you and your little gang were doing here." When neither gave her a reply, she took a step forward and passed her long silver blade from one hand to the other. "The outside of this building is covered in demonic warding Sigils... One of you is going to tell me why" She continued.

"To keep demons out." One of the angels replied, a grin to the corner of his lips as he watched her eyes narrow.

"Don’t be smart with me flyboy." She growled. "We ran you out of town days ago, so TELL me why you came back." When again neither gave her a reply, she let out a whistle, her gaze drifting to the doorway as two of her Hell hounds stepped into the room. "Tell me or I’m going to send you down below." She threatened, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I’m sure Dean Winchester is going to be able to get an answer out of you..."

Sam’s heart sank like a stone as he watched the angels in front of him quiver at the mention of his older brother’s name. When he looked over at Castiel and the other angel looked away, he now knew without a doubt what his brother was up to in Hell.

"Now I’m going to ask again, why are you here?" Bela repeated, watching as her Hell hounds circled the pair of angels in anticipation.

"Because those were are orders." The first angel started, his eyes locked on one of the beast as it watched his every move.

"Why." She asked again, smiling as one of the hounds let out a menacing snarl.

"We don’t know why, ok?" The second angel replied, taking a nervous glance at the woman before turning his attention back to the beasts. "When the bounty went out for the Winchester brother’s heads, we were told to come out here and wait for further instructions." There was a moment of silence as Bela and Sam exchanged a quick glance. "That’s all we know, I swear."

"I think there’s more to it than that and I think you know where Michael is." Bela continued, whistling to get the Hell hounds’ attention. "Get ‘em boys...."

"I swear that’s all we know... You’ve got to believe us." The angel pleaded, watching in horror as the Hell hounds moved in and Bela stepped aside. "Please..."

"We’ll see if that’s true after Dean’s done with you downstairs." Bela replied, looking on as the massive beasts moved in.

Sam took a step back as the Hell hounds jumped at the angels and knocked them down to the ground in front of him. The sight made his heart stop and his breath catch in the back of his throat, this was what had happened to Dean and he couldn’t witness something like it again without hearing his own brother’s painful screams in the back of his mind. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard, the sound of the raging storm outside doing little to drown out the chaos playing out in front of him. When the room once again fell silent and he looked down at the bloodied, mauled bodies on the ground in front of him, his mind started to race and his blood ran cold. "Cas." He started, his voice barely above a whisper as he turned to face the renegade angel to his right. "Is Dean torturing Angels in Hell? Is that why Lucifer wanted to split us up?"

There was a moment of silence as Castiel caught the young hunter’s eyes, knowing that the last thing he really wanted or needed to hear, was the answer to the question he’d just asked. "Yes." He replied simply, watching as the expression on Sam’s face instantly changed. "Sam, I trie..."

"I don’t want to hear it Cas." The young hunter was quick to interrupt, his eyes catching Gabriel’s before he turned to make his way out the door and into the hall; the others following. Just the thought of Dean torturing angels in Hell made him feel sick to his stomach. Though Gabriel had warned him nothing good would come out of their deal with the Devil, never in a million years would he have thought his older brother would sink back into his old ways. Dean had always been, after all, the strong one, the right one, the good son... When the Hell hound at his side froze near the top of the stairs, Sam paused in his steps; his attention instantly turning from his scattered thoughts to his dark surroundings.

"What is it?" Bela asked, looking down the dark stairs ahead of them as she watched Sam use his flashlight to glance around the abandoned movie theater.

Sam hushed her as he gestured down to the Hell hound at his side. "Something’s wrong." He whispered, reaching for his gun as the beast let out a low growl, its back arching at the faint sound of shuffling somewhere among the distant debris.

Gabriel swallowed hard as his eyes scanned the darkness around them. "We need to get out of here." He started, his grip on the gun tightening as he turned his attention back towards the room they had just come from.

"Angels?" Sam asked, following Gabriel’s eyes down the hall as Castiel turned on the spot.

"Archangels" Gabriel was quick to reply, loading his gun as one of them appeared in the open doorway just down the hall. "And lots of ‘em."

When on of them suddenly materialized on the landing next to him, Sam barely had the time to react at all. Though he managed to avoid the sharp blade in the archangel’s grip, he wasn’t quick enough to take a shot at her before he took a kick to the gut that sent him down the stairs. It all happened in a matter of only seconds but by the time he stopped himself from falling and pulled himself back up, a dozen or so archangel’s had moved in without warning. Gun in hand, he started shooting them down; starting with the one that had Castiel by the throat and then the one that had Bela on the floor. Taking aim, he set his sights on the pair that were moving in on Gabriel, shooting both down as the renegade reloaded his gun. One after another the archangel's fell, the light of their scorched wings illuminating the entire room just long enough for Sam to reassess the situation and lock onto a new target.

He was so focused on putting a stop to the struggle between Castiel and one of them, that he never saw the archangel standing behind him until it was too late. When that blade sliced into his shoulder, everything else going on around him just seemed to disappear. He swore to himself as he fell to his knees in the stairs, the gun dropping from his hands. Against the pain, he dodged the blade and got to his feet, taking a punch to the face before he kicked the archangel away just long enough to grab his weapon off the soot covered steps. Stumbling back, he loaded the gun and took a shot, swearing under his breath as he pulled the trigger and nothing happened; he was out of bullets. As he reached for another gun and the archangel prepared to take another swing, Bela stepped out of thin air and wasted no time killing the archangel in front of her.

"You need to get out of here." She said, reaching out to pull him up off the steps." Though she was covered in blood, the pain didn’t seem to bother her at all.

"I’m not leaving without them." Sam replied, sucking in a breath as he felt the muscles in his shoulder protest the movement.

"My job is to keep you safe." She hissed, her gaze darting up the stairs as Gabriel fired a shot and another archangel collapsed to the ground. "You first, then them." She continued, catching his eyes with a hard gaze.

Before Sam could say another word, she reached out and grabbed him by the arm, instantly moving him from the battlefield inside to the small group of demons gathered by the back door outside. He swore under his breath as he watched the demons gather around him, Bela was no where in sight. "Where is she?" He demanded, his eyes catching those of a woman to his left.

"She went back inside." The demon replied, leaning in to take a better look at the gash in the young hunter’s shoulder. "We would have come for you if only we were able to get in..." She continued.

Sam swore again as he slipped a hand into his jacket to examine the cut. He could feel the warmth of his own blood as it seeped through his fingers and even the slightest touch sent pain trickling down his left arm. Though it hurt like Hell, at least he was still alive. Feeling just as helpless as the demons gathered around him, he turned his attention to the scorched building as he waited for any sign of the trio that were left battling it out inside. When Bela suddenly appeared to his right and let a battered Castiel fall into the hands of waiting demons, he knew that she was doing all she could to uphold the contract. In an instant she was gone and the storm continued to rage over head as he waited nervously for the woman to return with Gabriel. The seconds dragged on and each one was more excruciating than the one before. When Gabriel stepped out of thin air with Bela cradled in his arms, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. Though they were all in rough shape, at least his little group was accounted for. "Is she alright?" He asked, his eyes catching Gabriel’s as the demons moved in to check on their leader.

"A few cuts that need to be looked after, but she should be fine." He replied, noticing the dark red blotch that now covered most of the other man’s shirt. "How about you?" He asked, passing the unconscious woman to her waiting minions.

Sam sucked in a breath as he made his way over towards Castiel, unconscious and bloody, but still breathing. "Just a cut." He replied vaguely, studying the renegade angel before turning his attention back to Gabriel and taking notice of the blood streaming down from a gash in his hand. "Hey Gabe, have you ever seen so many other Archangel's in one place before?" He quietly asked, swallowing the lump caught in his throat as he thought of what such an attack could signify. "I mean, other than up in Heaven?"

There was a moment of silence as Gabriel wiped the blood from his hand onto his torn jeans. "No, I haven’t" He replied, his gaze drifting back to the building they had come from. "Archangels command their own personal armies, there’s no reason for them to gather like that without their soldiers..."

"Let's get back to Bobby's place." Sam replied as he eyed the demons that were gathered around Bela. "We can figure it out there."  
  
"What do you want us to do?" One of the demons asked, turning to catch his eyes.  
  
"I want you to put them in the car." Sam started, pointing to Bela and then Castiel. "I'll take them with us while you guys do another sweep of the town to make sure there aren't anymore archangels around."


	11. Caught in the undertow

When the Impala pulled up to the house, Bobby was down the front stairs before the car was even in park. Sam let out a sigh as he took a glance over to Gabriel in the seat next to him. "What are we going to tell him?" He asked as he pulled the keys from the ignition.

"Uh, how about the truth?" Gabriel abruptly replied. "It’s kind of hard to lie about getting your ass kicked when it looks like you literally got your ass kicked." There was a moment of silence as Sam shook his head. "Hey, you asked." The archangel replied, stepping out of the car and walking around to open the back door.

Bobby made his way over as he watched Sam crawl out from behind the wheel, his arm tucked tight against his body. "Couple demons showed up." The veteran hunter started, instantly noticing the dark red stain that had soaked through the other man’s shirt. "Told me they’d be keeping a close eye on the place in case the angels pull another stunt like the one they did in Scythe earlier this morning..." He paused for only a moment as Gabriel pulled Castiel from the back seat of the car and Sam reached over to open the rear door for Bela. "You all look in pretty rough shape, someone mind telling me what the Hell actually happened in Scythe?"

"We had our ass handed to us on a silver platter by a dozen or so Archangel’s who no longer seem to be letting the angels do the dirty work for them." Bela was quick to reply as she caught Bobby's curious eyes.

"Wait, you went up against Archangels?" Bobby asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched the young woman put a hand against the car to steady her steps. "Those sons of bitches are worse than the angels under their command." He paused for a moment as his eyes caught Gabriel’s. "Uh present company excluded of course..."

"I haven’t been an Archangel in years." Gabriel muttered, propping Castiel up against him as he shut the Impala’s door.

"This don’t make any sense..." Bobby said, pausing for only a moment as thunder growled overhead. "Why would the Archangels get their hands dirty when they have armies of angels at their disposal?"

"Michael's done screwing around." Bela started, her tone of voice dry. "So he brought in the big guns to get the job done. In case you haven’t noticed yet, Sam & Dean have a high price on their heads... They’re Heaven’s biggest threat and Michael will stop at nothing to see them dead."

"But I thought the demons had the stronghold." Sam said, reaching out to help Bela make her way around to the other side of the Impala "I thought Lucifer was winning this..."

When Bela let out a chuckle, Sam instantly silenced. "You really have no perspective on this whole Heaven & Hell war do you?" She asked, sucking in a breath as they carefully made their way back towards the house. "Even if Heaven is loosing, Michael isn’t going to call his angels back. They’re going to die before they give in because this isn’t about winning or loosing anymore, it’s about pride... vanity."

Bobby swallowed hard as he took a quick glance around, though he could see no one there, he knew the place was crawling with demons sent out to keep a watchful eye. "Alright, let’s get you guys inside..." He started, his gaze drifting from Sam & Bela to Gabriel & Castiel. "You can reassess this mess once you’re all cleaned up." He continued, walking up the front steps and pulling the door open for his injured crew. Though he desperately wanted to ask about Dean’s whereabouts, he knew now wasn’t the time, Sam already had more than enough on his mind. "Can I get a little help down here?" He called out, his gaze drifting up the stairs towards the second floor as he shut the door behind them.

"Who are you talking to?" Sam asked, watching as Gabriel dragged Castiel to the living room and let him fall hard on the sofa.

"Myself." Bobby grumbled, making his way towards the bottom of the stairs. "LADIES! A little help?" He called out again.

When footsteps above made the old floor boards creak, Sam couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. "You have company?" He asked, his gaze drifting over to the veteran hunter at his side.

"You make it sound like the man doesn’t have a life beyond you and your brother..." Bela muttered, passing Sam in the doorway as she joined the renegade angels in the living room. "You’d be surprised by what you don’t know."

Sam was about to comment but when Ellen and Jo turned the corner at the top of the stairs, his words just disappeared. "What the Hell happened to you?" Ellen started, catching his eyes as she made her way down the stairs in a hurry.

"Got into a little scuffle..." Bobby explained, pointing the women towards the trio in the living room. "Ellen, Jo, that’s Gabriel & Bela... Some old friends of the boys." He continued, his tone of voice low as he caught Sam’s eyes.

"Sam, we need to have a look at that right away." Ellen said as she studied the dark red stain that covered his shirt. "Jo, honey go get some towels upstairs, Bobby get a first aid kit out will ya?"

"I’ve got to admit." Sam started, wincing as the woman helped him out of his jacket. "I’m surprised to see you two here."

"Why’s that?" Ellen was quick to reply, her gaze drifting into the living room as Gabriel pulled a chair out for Bela to take a seat. "The entire area is a hot spot, there’s omens surfacing all over the county... Isn’t that what brought you out here? The whole Apocalypse thing?" She paused for only a moment as Sam swore under his breath, his eyes instantly closing as he brought a hand up to the large slash. "Jo and I were on our way to Scythe but knew we’d better stop here to check in on Bobby... Boy were we surprised to see him up and walking again." She said, smiling as the veteran hunter made his way back towards them, first aid kit in hand. "Glad that doctor was wrong..."

"I strongly suggest you stay away from Scythe." Bela said from the living room without looking over. "It’s much more than just a hot spot now."

"So I’ve heard." Ellen replied, her gaze momentarily drifting over to the other woman before focusing on the young hunter standing in front of her. "C’mon, we need to get you out of that shirt." She continued, pointing him towards the living room as Jo made her way back down the stairs.

Sam sucked in a breath as he started to unbutton his shirt, every time he moved, a new wave of pain traveled down his arm; bringing him right back to that moment where the archangel’s blade had pierced his skin. By the time he had his shirt off, he was almost in tears.

"Now let’s have a look at this." Ellen started, grabbing a towel from her daughter’s hands to wipe off the blood. "I’m not going to lie, this is probably going to hurt like a bitch."

"It already does." Sam muttered, forcing a smile as he caught Jo’s eyes.

There was a moment of silence as Ellen pulled the towel away. "Well I hate to tell ya this kid." She started, swearing to herself as she examined the wound. "It’s a clean cut, but it’s pretty bad..."

"There’s something you should know." Sam started, sucking in another breath as she pressed the towel back down to the gash. "Dean & I ran into a bit of..."

"I know all about it Sam." She was quick to interrupt, instantly silencing him as she caught his eyes. "Bobby filled us in on this plan of yours, we know about the angels trying to kill us off and the deal Dean made with Lucifer."

"You don’t know half of it." Gabriel cut in, casually making his way over. "And it’s probably better that way." He went on, reaching out to place a hand over Ellen’s and the towel she was holding against Sam’s wound.

When a sudden pain ripped through his shoulder, Sam couldn’t help but swear under his breath. Had it lasted more than a fraction of a second, it would have brought him to his knees. When Gabriel pulled away and the sharp pain instantly subsided, his mind quickly made the connection. "Gabe, you alright?" He asked, watching as the archangel struggled to catch his breath. "Gabe..." He continued reaching out to help him keep his balance as Ellen took a step back.

"What the Hell just happened?" Ellen asked, watching as Gabriel fell into Sam’s arms and Bobby moved in to help drag the other man over to the sofa. "He’s an angel too, isn’t he?" She started, watching as the pair lay him down next to Castiel.

"A burnt out Archangel actually." Bela replied frankly. "And if he keeps pulling stunts like this, he’ll be on his way out in no time."

"Stunts like what?" Jo asked, her voice filling the void as Sam turned to face them.

When Ellen watched the young hunter pass a hand down the side of his neck and over his shoulder, she couldn’t help but swear to herself. The deep cut in his shoulder was gone. "Did he just..." She trailed off as Sam gave her a nod.

"He’s the one that gave Bobby back his legs too." Sam started, his eyes catching Ellen’s as she made her way over. "Takes a lot out of him these days so he’s probably going to be out for a little while." He explained as he pointed to the pair of renegade angels unconscious on the sofa. "Bobby and I are going to go over these two to make sure there’s no serious injuries, why don’t you take Bela upstairs and look after her."

"I can look after myself." Bela was quick to reply, her eyes narrowing as Sam turned to face her.

"Just let them stitch you up." Sam continued, holding her hard gaze for only a moment before turning his attention back to Gabriel and Castiel. "If those archangels were quick enough to get a few good cuts into one of their own, I know for a fact that they were quick enough to get a few into you too... You’re tough but without your demon’s you’re just as vulnerable as the rest of us."

"Demons?" Ellen asked, raising an eyebrow as she turned to face the other woman.

"Get use to ‘em." Bela started as she got up from her chair and started casually making her way towards the stairs. "Cause you’re walking among the damned now."

Sam let out a sigh as he watched Ellen, Jo and Bela make their way up the stairs. "Bobby, I don’t know what to do." He started, turning to face the older man.

"Yeah well that makes two of us." Bobby replied frankly.

"You should have seen those Archangels..." Sam started, his gaze drifting down to Castiel and Gabriel." Dozens of them just kept coming at us." He paused for a moment as the roll of thunder made the house shake. "It’s almost as if they had nothing left to loose... I mean Gabriel’s a renegade but he’s still pretty high up in the ranks, Bela’s one of Hell’s most fierce & feared warriors and today Heaven went after both..."

"Well, like she said... They’re going to die before they give in." Bobby offered, looking over as Sam pulled the car keys from his pocket. "Where are you going?"

"Just to get my duffle bag out of the car." The young hunter replied. "And reload my gun..."

Bobby passed a hand over his face as he watched Sam make his way out the door and down the front steps. It was the same tone of voice John use to use when he was desperately trying to keep himself together; the same tone he would use on his boys to show them nothing would stop him. When he turned his attention back to the angels, he was surprised to see that Castiel was sitting up. "Are you alright?" He asked, making his way back over as the angel’s gaze fell down to Gabriel by his side. "You were out for a while..." He continued, studying the small cut on his cheek and the dry blood to the corner of his lip.

"Yeah, I think so." Castiel replied, wincing slightly as he put a hand up to his chest. "What about the others? Where are they?"

"They’re both fine." Bobby replied, pulling a chair over to the middle of the living room. "Sam went out to the car and Bela’s upstairs." He explained, grabbing a towel from his desk nearby. "Gabriel’s out because he used his energy to close up a gash in Sam’s shoulder... how about you, did any of them get a blade into you?"

There was a moment of silence as Castiel pulled his trench coat off to reveal a dark red stain near the collar of his shirt and signs of cuts up and down both arms. "I tried to keep them off of me, but there were too many of them..." He started, tossing his coat off to the side. "We just couldn’t kill them off fast enough..." He paused as the door slammed shut and Sam turned the corner, smiling slightly as he caught the other man’s eyes. "I’m just glad we got out of there..." He continued, loosening his tie. "It could have been worse, much worse."

"Yeah well, we have Bela to thank for getting us out of there." Sam started, making his way over towards the unconscious archangel spread out on the sofa. "That woman really gets to me sometimes, but she is true to her word." He said, turning Gabriel’s hand over to examine the cut in his palm. "And she really seems to have control over the demons... They do whatever she tells them to and Lucifer trusts that she’ll do a good job."

"It’s just like the angels do with Michael." Castiel remarked, putting an arm out as Bobby pulled a chair up in front of him and took a seat. "The demons fear Bela to the point that they would rather follow than question her." There was a moment of silence as he watched Bobby clean one of the many cuts in his arms, carefully wiping away the streak of blood that was seeping from the wound. A slash from any other knife wouldn’t have even broken his vessels skin, but the edge of an angel’s blade could cut into just about anything. "I don’t know what the angels are doing anymore." He started, turning his attention back to Sam who was cleaning the gash in Gabriel’s hand. "Before it got bad, I could listen in on them, hear what the next orders were... But now it’s like a dead signal, I can’t pick up on anything..."

"Yeah well, maybe Dean’s having better luck with the sons of bitches." Sam muttered, his mind racing with thoughts of what his brother might be doing down in Hell.

"I want you to know that I tried to talk him out of it." Castiel suddenly started, waiting for the younger man to look over and catch his eyes. "He told me that he was only doing it to help Lucifer along..." He said, his tone of voice low. "But there’s a part of him that wanted to be there in Hell..."

"I get that feeling too." Sam hissed, grabbing a roll of bandage from the first aid kit nearby and getting back to work. "If he had only just let me die, he wouldn’t have gotten a taste of Hell in the first place."

"Don’t give me that crap." Bobby was quick to reply, glancing over his shoulder as he watched the other man wrap the bandage around the Archangel’s injured hand. "This isn’t your fault and you know it."

"Look, I’m not saying it’s right." Castiel went on, wincing as Bobby passed the towel over one of the cuts. "But you need to put yourself in his place; Dean’s angry and hurt, part of him is seeking revenge for all the hard times he’s had... and Hell was the one place he felt in control of..."

"Cas, there’s nothing you can say that’s going to justify what’s he’s doing in Hell." Sam interrupted, silencing the angel as he finished dressing Gabriel’s wound. "The brother I knew; before the Apocalypse started and before he realized he was a Guardian Angel led astray... He would have never, NEVER turned his back on what he believed in and what he stands for. No matter how angry or hurt, how broken, lost or far gone his soul really was... He would have NEVER gone back to torture others in Hell." Sam paused for a moment as he got up from Gabriel’s side. "I’m going to go check on Bela." He announced as he made his way towards the stairs.

"You need to keep in mind that when you were drinking demon blood, you had yourself convinced that what you were doing was for all the right reasons..." Castiel suddenly started, his words stopping the other man dead in his tracks.

"And what exactly does that have to do with Dean torturing souls in Hell?" Sam snapped, turning slightly to catch the angel’s eyes.

"The demon blood was your addiction, you did it because it made you feel in control." Castiel continued without missing a beat. "Well this is his addiction, and it makes him feel the same way."

Sam held the angel’s blue eyes for a moment before he turned to make his way up the stairs, Castiel’s chilling comparison now the only thing circling in his head. By revealing Dean’s ties to Heaven and the angels true intentions, Zachariah had provided that one last push needed to send him over the edge and back into a darkness he had kept to himself. Sam didn’t want to believe it but deep down inside he knew that it was true; Dean, he thought, had been far too eager and willing to join the ranks of Hell. When he reached the top of the stairs, he noticed one of the bedroom doors left ajar at the end of the hall and made his way towards it, his mind now swarming with thoughts of his older brother’s lust for control over the forces that had pushed and pulled him through life. As he reached the door he paused in his steps to peer inside, his eyes instantly focusing on the large silver blade leaning up against a dresser nearby. Much longer than the angels weapon of choice and far more intimidating than an archangel’s blade, he’d been intrigued by it ever since Gabriel had asked Bela if it belonged to a Guardian Angel; a sect he didn’t know existed until Zachariah’s shocking revelation.

In the middle of the room, Bela sat on a chair with her back to him; her right arm cradled in Ellen’s hands while her left hand clutched the towel she was using to cover herself up. Jo sat on the floor to her left, busy stitching shut a slice in her side while Ellen cleaned the cuts that covered her free hand. Watching Jo work made his mind race back to the motel room where night after night he’d be doing the same, stitching shut the gash in his brother’s side. The moment Zachariah’s blade had sliced into Dean's flesh was the moment their plans had all gone to Hell. Literally. Though Jo’s steady hands were covered in blood, it was the cuts that weren’t bleeding that made his breath catch in the back of his throat. From across the room, he couldn’t help but notice the marks that riddled Bela’s back; some of them stretching from her shoulders right down to her waist. Every inch of flesh visible was scared in one way or another, leaving him to wonder what she’d been through during her years of service in Hell.

"Sam." Ellen called out, her voice pulling his eyes away from the woman in front of her. "Can you give us a little privacy here?"

"It’s alright, he can come in." Bela interrupted, looking over her shoulder for a moment as the young hunter slowly wandered into the room.

Sam took a few steps forward before coming to a stop, his eyes still glued to the scars that crisscrossed her flesh. "How are you doing?" He asked, his words barely coming together as he thought of the Hellish map scrawled across her backside. "Those archangels didn’t slice you up too bad, did they?"

"Just a few cuts, nothing I can’t handle." Bela replied, wincing slightly as Jo made another pass. "Too bad this isn’t a vessel I can just heal up like those sons of bitches do."

There was a moment of silence as Sam wrestled with the questions he wanted to ask, the thunder grumbling overhead filling the void for only a moment as he collected his thoughts and worked up the nerve. "Bela, where are all those scars from?" He asked quietly, his tone of voice forcing the woman to look back at him as both Ellen and Jo paused from what they were doing.

"Where do you think, Sam?" Bela replied bluntly, holding his eyes just long enough to watch the expression on his face change from curiosity to disgust. "Your brother knew how to leave his mark."

Her words made his blood run cold and sent a shiver down his spine. He stood frozen in his steps, his eyes transfixed on the marks and his mind numb with the thought that his older brother really was responsible for such damage. Dean had given up his life to save him, but judging by the aftermath of such a deal, Sam was starting to wonder if his older brother’s selfless act had been worth the price they would all have pay in the end. Had he died in Dean’s arms that cold rainy night, none of this would have happened. Dean wouldn’t have broken that first seal in Hell and he wouldn’t have broken the last one that set Lucifer free.

"Sam." Ellen started softly, her voice pulling the young hunter’s troubled eyes off the floor. "Could you give us a minute? We’re almost done..."

Sam offered a nod as he turned and made his way back out into the hall, shutting the door behind him before leaning up against the wall. He closed his eyes for a moment, unable to clear his head of the dire circumstances they were in. When the floor boards near the stairs creaked under someone’s feet, he couldn’t help but look over, his eyes catching Gabriel’s as the archangel made his way over. "Bela’s going to be fine. How about you, are you alright?" He asked quietly, passing a hand over his face as he tried to regain his composure.

"I’m fine." Gabriel replied simply. "Closing that gap in your shoulder just sucked the life out of me for a moment."

"Thank you for doing it..." Sam started, offering what he could of a smile as his gaze momentarily drifted to Bobby and Castiel as they made their way up the stairs. As he turned his attention to the closed bedroom door, his mind once again started to race. "Gabriel, I need to know how Bela could have gotten her hands on a Guardian Angel’s blade." He said, watching as the archangel’s eyes dropped to the floor. "The look of surprise on your face when you saw it in her hands tells me that there’s more to it than..."

"I was surprised because they’re rare, I don’t know where she got it." Gabriel was quick to reply, sucking in a breath as he looked back up to catch the young hunter’s eyes. "There’s only a couple dozen Guardian Angel’s out there and only one of them with a blade like that... I’m talking custom made here." He paused for only a moment as the crack of lightning echoed through the house. "Sam, the last time I saw that blade was the night I placed it in your mother’s hands... it belongs to your brother."


	12. No one can save me the damage is done

"What?" Sam asked, his breath catching in the back of his throat as the thunder outside faded into the background.

"That blade belongs to your brother." Gabriel repeated, swallowing hard as he watched the younger man try to grasp what he’d just said. "I left it with your mother the night she agreed to carry an angel of the Lord... I told her to keep it safe because one day her child might need it to save us all." He shook his head as he thought of the moment he’d placed the Guardian Angel’s blade in the hands of the fearless young woman. "I don’t know what she did with it after that and I haven’t seen it since... But I do know years went by before your father found her journals and went into hunting himself... He knew about her deal with me but I doubt he knew about the blade."

"Dad never talked about angels..." Sam started softly, his eyes catching Bobby’s who was obviously just as surprised.

"Why would he?" Gabriel replied. "The Earth was plagued with more demons than angels and until they pulled your brother from Hell, their presence here was scarce. We kept a very low profile."

"The first angel I’ve ever seen was him." Bobby added, pointing to Castiel. "Before Dean was pulled from the pit, angels were just a myth by my books."

Sam let out a sigh as he passed a hand through his hair. "Right, well I need to know how the queen of the damned got her hands on it..." Sam said, giving the door a knock before he was invited back into the room. "Bela." He started, watching as she finished buttoning her blouse and then turned to face him. "That Guardian Angel’s blade... Where did you get it?"

"Sam, I’ve acquired thousands of sought after objects and artifacts in my lifetime..." She replied, her gaze momentarily drifting over to Ellen as the older woman dragged the chair back to the corner of the room. "You don’t honestly expect me to remember where I picked up one weapon of many, do you? As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a blade that can kill the angels we’re up against." When his eyes narrowed, she let out a sigh. "You’re a hard one to please, you know that?"

"It’s one of a kind." Gabriel started, his tone of voice pulling her eyes away from Sam for only a moment.

"They all are." She continued. "But that doesn’t make them any more important or valuable to me."

"I’m going to need a better answer than that, Bela." Sam growled, his tone of voice instantly wiping the smirk from her face. "Because it turns out that blade you’ve been swinging around was issued to my brother. Now I’m going to ask you again, where did you get that Guardian Angel’s blade"

There was a moment of silence as she held his stern eyes. "I broke into a storage locker down in Lawrence Kansas years ago." She replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "One of my supernatural sources suggested that I check the place out, said it once belonged to a hunter who’d been dead for a decade or so.... You hunters hide your life from everyone around you so well that when you die, no one knows about your storage locker full of crap somewhere along some road. It’s paid well in advance and it sits forgotten for years until..."

"Someone like you breaks in and grabs whatever they can sell." Sam cut in.

"What good is anything if all it does is sit and collect dust." She was quick to reply. "Don’t take it so personally Sam... I didn’t know or care who that storage locker belonged to when I broke in years ago." She paused for only a moment as her gaze drifted from the man in front of her to the pair of renegade angels at his side. "And like most of you, I had no idea that blade belonged to Dean. A few days ago I didn’t even know the son of a bitch was a Guardian Ange..." She trailed off as the lights suddenly flickered and went out, leaving them in complete darkness for a fraction of a second.

"Huh, that’s weird." Jo started, her gaze drifting up to the light bulb hanging from the ceiling before focusing on Bobby. "The hole area’s been drowning in this lightning storm for days but it’s the first time I see the lights actually go out.

"It’s got nothing to do with the light show sweetheart." Bela was quick to reply. "Bobby, I think you should get them down to your panic room. Now." She said pointing Ellen and Jo towards the door as her eyes nervously scanned the room they were in.

"What is it Bela?" Sam asked, reaching for his gun as he watched the trio make their way towards the door.

"I’m not sure." She was quick to reply, reaching over to grab the blade that was leaning up against the dresser nearby. As her hand wrapped around the handle, Dean’s hand suddenly wrapped around her throat and pushed her up against the wall; forcing her to drop the blade as she desperately tried to pry his hand away from her throat.

"You had one job to do, ONE JOB." Dean growled, holding her in place as she struggled against his firm grip. "And you STILL managed to screw it up..."

The tone of his voice alone was enough to make Sam’s heart jump to his throat. It stopped Bobby, Ellen & Jo dead in their tracks and caught Gabriel & Castiel by surprise. Staring at his older brother, who’d just stepped out of thin air, Sam wasn’t quite sure how to react and judging by the dead silence that followed his words, neither did the renegade angels at his side.

"Dean, let her go." He started, feeling his words catch in the back of his throat as his brother turned slightly to catch his eyes; for a moment, he could have sworn he was looking at a stranger. "It wasn’t her fault, we were ambushed."

"Yeah and who exactly made the call to go into that building, knowing an army of demons couldn’t step foot inside?" Dean snarled, his grip around her throat tightening as she struggled to free herself. "If you ask me, that’s one hell of a bad call."

When the low growl of a Hell Hound caught his attention, Sam couldn’t help but swear under his breath, his eyes darting to the left as a the massive beast crawled out of a shadow. Arching its back and bearing sharp teeth, the hound made its intentions quite clear as it took a step towards his brother. "Dean, let her go!" Sam demanded, swallowing hard as he watched the Hell hound snake its way over to the pair.

Holding Bela in place and ignoring his younger brother’s plea, Dean casually reached for the gun that was tucked into the back of his belt. "If you slip up again..." He started quietly, his menacing tone of voice now reflecting a darker side. "...and anyone of the them is injured as a result." He continued, pausing as he loaded the gun and held it out towards the Hell hound moving in. "I will personally hunt you down and drag you kicking and screaming down to my rack." The silence that followed his words shattered as he pulled the trigger and shot dead the Hell hound that had shown up in Bela’s defense. "Do I make myself clear?" He growled, releasing his tight grip.

There was a moment of silence as Bela struggle to catch her breath, her eyes locked to those of the man standing there in front of her. "I’m not afraid of you." She replied, her coarse voice barely above a whisper.

"Fuck up again and you will be." Dean growled mercilessly, tucking his gun away before turning to face his younger brother and the small crowd that was gathered behind him. "All right here’s the plan." He started, his gaze momentarily drifting down to the Hell hound on the floor between them. "Midnight tonight, we need to be in Lawrence.

"Lawrence?" Sam asked, sucking in a breath as he watched the other man casually make his way over. "Why Lawrence?"

"Because that’s where Michael is." Dean was quick to reply, his eyes catching Castiel’s for only a moment. "Couple of unfortunate angels let it slip that that’s where the boss has been hiding out. So tonight, we join the demons to back Lucifer up and take out what’s left of Heaven’s little crusade before they do any more damage. If Lucifer wants to talk with his brother, that’s fine, but we’re going over there to fight once their little chat turns ugly."

"Dean, there’s something you need to know about the angels." Sam started, pausing for only a moment as lightning lit up the room. "It’s the archangels that attacked us, all of the angels are gone..."

"Yeah I know." Dean replied frankly. "I’m the one that sent those sons of bitches running for Heaven. The archangels stayed behind because they’re so determined to stick by Michael’s side, that they’d rather die than give in... if they knew what was good for them though, they’d crawl back up to Heaven with the others."

"Where’s Lucifer now?" Bela asked, pulling the young hunter’s attention away from the trio for only a moment.

"In Scythe, taking care of the archangels you couldn’t handle." Dean replied drily, watching as the woman reached down to grab the large blade off the floor. "To make sure they don’t get the best of you again, I suggest you trade in that angel's blade for one our guns." He continued, pointing to the weapon in her hands. "The gun’s much more efficient than that bulky old thing."

"I'll have you know that this isn't an ordinary angel's blade... It's one of a kind and it was meant for the finale battle between Heaven and Hell." Bela said simply, holding the large blade out towards him as she caught his eyes. "It's come to my attention, that this bulky old thing belongs in your hands, so you take it."

"What the hell are you talking about, now?" Dean was quick to reply.

"Dean, that blade is yours." Gabriel cut in, sucking in a breath as the young hunter turned to face him. "Every angel in existence was issued one, you included..." As he watched Dean’s hard gaze drift over to Castiel, he couldn’t help but wonder just how much more the other man could really take. The past few days had been one emotional punch after the other and each and every hit, had had startling consequences. "I placed that blade in your mother’s hands the night she agreed to bare an angel as a child." He continued, only hoping the news wouldn’t further deteriorate Dean's volatile state of mind.

"Is that so." Dean replied quietly, his eyes darting back towards Bela before once again focusing on the archangel in front of him. "Then tell me how queen of the underworld over here, ended up with it."

"It was misplaced after your mother died, and since the angels didn't care to see that it stays in your possession, it was eventually lost." Gabriel explain, watching nervously as Dean's eyes instantly narrowed.

"What else should I know about this angel-hybrid crap that you're not telling me, Gabe?" Dean growled, his tone of voice low. "I've already died a few times so I'm obviously mortal and I feel things that they only dream about so that makes me human. I don't have heavenly powers like they do, I can't be sent away with a Sigil, but I've got a Heaven issued blade? Does that mean that I have my very own set of wings too?"

There was a moment of silence and Sam closed his eyes as he felt a chill run down his spine. The thought of his brother having wings like the rest of them had never even crossed his mind. When Gabriel hesitated, he felt the atmosphere in the room take a freighting turn.

"Dean, you're a Guardian Angel in the flesh and blood, a big part of you is human and..."

"And a big part of me isn't." Dean snapped, his tone forcing the archangel's eyes to the floor at his feet. "Just answer the question Gabe... Do I have wings on my back or not?"

When Gabriel didn't offer an answer, Castiel swallowed hard. "Before Alastair got his hands on you, you did have a set of wings like the rest of us." He started softly, pulling Dean's attention away from the archangel he had corned with his question. "But when I pulled you from Hell, there was nothing left of them." The uncomfortable silence that followed his words was like the calm before the storm; an eerie moment of peace before the ominous clouds rolled in.

"Well I'm glad that they're gone." Dean was quick to reply, his tone of voice underling his thoughts of any ties he had to Heaven. "Because if I still had them on my back, I'd want to rip them out myself too." He continued, pausing as he turned slightly to catch Bela's eyes. "I don't give a shit if it's mine, you can keep the blade."

"Dean that blade was made for you, it belongs in your han..." Gabriel silenced as the other man turned to face him.

"If it's got anything to do with Heaven, then I don't want it." Dean growled, thunder following his words as the continuous storm raged overhead. "If my mother knew what was in store, I somehow doubt she would of agreed to anything." He held the archangel's eyes for a moment before letting his gaze drift over to Sam and the small group that was gathered behind him in the doorway. "I'll bring the Impala around the back, gather your things and meet me out there." He started, putting a hand out to take the car keys from his younger brother. "Sam, Cas & Gabe are going to be coming with me in; Ellen, Jo & Bela, are going with Bobby.... Oh and Bobby, get these ladies weapons they can actually use." He waited for the veteran hunter to give him a nod before turning his attention back to the woman sent from Hell to watch over them. "You only get one more shot at this, so don't mess it up."

Moving aside as Dean made his way through the door and down the hall, Bobby and Sam couldn't help but exchange a quick glance. Nothing needed to be said to understand that there was something different in Dean's voice and in his actions, something Gabriel had warned them about when the deal with Lucifer had been made. "When this is over." Sam started softly, swallowing hard as he watched his brother disappear down the stairs. "Is he going to be able to break out of this?" There was a moment of silence as he watched Gabriel's eyes drift over to Castiel. "Can he recover?"

"That depends on him." Castiel replied quietly. "If he's first willing and then strong enough."

"You guys get organized, I need to go talk to him before we..."

"Aside from wasting time we don't have, what's talking to him going to do?" Bela cut in, tucking the blade away as she made her way over. "This might be a whole new side of him to you, but it isn't to me... this is who your brother really is and he's not going to change." She paused for only a moment as her mind drifted back to the torture she'd endured at his hands. "He's ruthless, Sam and I doubt you'll ever get him back now that he's had a second chance with Hell. Hate to say it, but I think it's time for you to cut your loss' and just focus on putting Michael back in his..."

"I'm not turning my back on him." Sam interrupted, his eyes narrowing as he watched Bela cross her arms. "So you can keep the damn opinions to yourself and just do your job."

"You want to go talk to him? Fine, then take your renegade angels with you." Bela snapped as she pointed towards the pair. "I can't be in two places at once and as far as Dean's concerned, you're safer with him anyway. It's a lost cause but if it'll make you feel better about what you overlooked, then by all means."

When Sam's hands clenched into fists and another Hell Hound stepped out of the shadows, Bobby quickly moved in between the young hunter and the woman standing in front of him. "You guys go, we'll meet you out back once I have Ellen & Jo ready for a war."

Sam held Bela's eyes for a moment before he turned and made his way down the hall, her words about Dean circling in his troubled mind. Though they had vowed to stop the Apocalypse at any cost, the steps his brother was talking were both drastic and worrisome. With Castiel and Gabriel at his side, he climbed down the back steps, taking notice of the idling Impala parked near the end of the scrap yard; the headlights casting their shadows against Bobby's house behind them as they started walking towards it. As they approached the car, the trunk slammed shut and Dean stepped out, gun in hand. "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" Sam started, shoving his hands into his pocket as he watched his brothers eyes drift over to the angels beside him. "About what happened back there between you and Bela?"

"There's not much to talk about." Dean was quick to reply as he tucked his gun away.

"You killed a Hell hound and you threatened the one Lucifer sent to watch over us..." Sam started, pausing for only a moment as he caught his older brother's eyes. "She's got an army of demons behind her, I mean you might as well have just grabbed the Devil by the throat; it would have been just as dangerous."

"Those that aren't loyal to me, need to be afraid of me..." Dean started, a slight smile creeping up from the corner of his lips as he leaned back against the Impala.

Sam felt the hair on the back of his neck stand as he watched the other man cross his arms in front of his chest. Perhaps more cold and calloused than he'd ever been before, the tone of his voice alone had him walking on pins & needles. "Dean, I don't like the way you're dealing with this..."

"Would you relax, I was bluffing, Sammy." Dean casually replied as he caught his brother's eyes. "To pull this off and not get us killed, I need to convince 'em that I'm just as harsh and ruthless as they are... so what better way?" He explained, pausing for only a moment as lightning lit up the sky. "I'm playing the part, because if I don't scare them like I did when I worked the pit, we're done."

"You tortured angels in Hell, Dean." Sam continued, his voice dropping slightly as the twisted thought crossed his mind. "I know stopping the Apocalypse was at any cost but I think you're taking it too far.... The things you're willing to do lately, since you found out you were a Guardian Angel, are scaring me a little."

There was a moment of silence as Dean offered a nod. "So it's working then, isn't it?" He said with a grin. "If I've got you fooled, that must mean I've got them fooled too."

"I don't think you're acting." Sam replied bluntly, his words forcing Dean to straighten out and take a step forward. "You might have been when you first made that deal with Lucifer, heck you might have been when you signed his damn contract, but not anymore." He paused as he felt his breath catch in the back of his throat, just the thought of what his older brother had been up to, made his stomach turn. "Cas told me what you did to Zachariah... how you enjoyed it."

"C'mon Sam, after everything that SOB put me through... of course I enjoyed it, you would have too."

"What about the other two angels Bela sent down to you then?" Sam was quick to reply, watching as his older brother's eyes momentarily drifted from Gabriel to Castiel. "Tell me what they did to deserve being...."

"I tortured them because I had to, Sam." Dean explained simply, knowing that the lack of remorse in his voice wouldn't be lost on his younger brother. "We needed an answer out of them and that's the only way we were going to get it. "

"You were only down there for a little over twenty-four hours and in that time, you managed to not only get Michael's location, but send the angels running back up to Heaven." Sam replied curtly. "I know time's different in the pit, but in the three weeks or so you spent down there, you did more than Lucifer's army was able to do since the whole Apocalypse started." He paused for a moment as he tried to keep his voice from rising. His fear, his anger and his disappointment were a tangled mess that was threatening to surface at any moment the more he learned of his older brother's darker side.

"I guess that just means I'm good at what I do."

"How many of them did you get your hands on, Dean?" Sam asked, his words just as sharp as his tone. "How many of them ended up dead because of you?"

"You don't really want to know." Dean replied frankly.

"Actually I do, because I need to know if..."

"We had a deal, Sam." Dean suddenly growled, his hard gaze fixed on the younger man. "You fight with me for Hell and I call the shots. We do what I say; no questions asked."

"Yeah and I was ok with that, until I watched you changed right before my eyes." Sam was quick to reply. "Dean I'm not the only one worried here." He continued, watching as his brother's gaze first drifted to Castiel and then Gabriel. "Your way of thinking, of rationalizing this, is scaring the crap out us; you're not who you were when you made that deal with Lucifer, you're not..."

"SAM." Dean interrupted, instantly silencing the other man. "I did what needed to be done so we can put an end to the Apocalypse; I got the angels out of the way so that we would outnumber Michael and his archangels. That's all there is to it. I'm not saying that the things I've done were right, but they worked." He paused for only a moment as thunder growled overhead. "I'm not going to deny the fact that I'll be coming out of this a little more messed up than I was going in... but if we can save the world, then it's worth the price. I hear what you're saying, I really do, and to be honest, I'm a little worried about the things going through my head right now too; but I've walked away from this life once before. You're just going to have to trust that I can walk away from it again when all this is over."

Dean had barely finished his sentence when a luminous bolt of lightning ripped through the sky above them. In a fraction of a second, it slammed into the ground nearby and sparked a fire that traveled just as quickly as the sound of thunder echoed in the scrap yard. Though Sam & Dean were mesmerized by the flame's path as it made its way around them and the Impala, Gabriel & Castiel weren't quite as transfixed on the sight as they reached for their weapons. "This isn't good." Gabriel started, the panic in his voice hard to miss as he loaded his gun.

"Well, that depends on what side of the Holy fire you're on I guess." Michael started calmly as he stepped out of the shadows.


	13. Darlin' only the good die young

As Gabriel raised his gun and Castiel reached for his blade, Michael simply put a hand out towards them. "Now then, why don't you two put your toys down." He said with authority as he clenched his extended hand into a tight fist.

Dean swore under his breath as he watched both Castiel & Gabriel instantly drop to their knees in agony. As Michael simply twisted his wrist, the excruciating pain the movement inflicted became more than obvious by the look on their faces. "Let them go!" Dean shouted, his eyes narrowing when Heaven's leader gave him a malicious grin.

"I am done screwing around with you." Michael curtly replied, pausing for only a moment as his eyes drifted over towards Sam and then down to the angels hunched over in the dirt. "You were only pulled you from Hell because Zachariah was convinced that you would say yes to me, that you would follow your destiny as a Guardian Angel, or failing that, a Heavenly vessel. But you have been nothing but a pain in the ass since we raised you from perdition; a bullheaded little punk who doesn't seem to give a damn about the mess you leave behind in your wake..." He paused for only a moment as thunder growled overhead. "Well now you're going to find out just how it feels to watch your friends pay the price for the mistakes that you've made."

"Fighting for Hell was no mistake in my eyes." Dean was quick to reply, his tone of voice rising with each and every word. "You might have regrets about pulling me from the pit but I have none about choosing not to fight for you."

"No regrets? Well let me give you one then." The spiteful angel hissed as he held a closed fist; his simple actions drawing a bloodcurdling cry from the renegade angels tormented by his relentless grip.

The gut wrenching sound of anguish and despair was something Dean never thought he'd hear outside the gates of Hell; something he hoped his younger brother would never have to experience first hand. Though he himself had pulled such a cry from the souls at his mercy and the angels in his custody, nothing was quite as distressing or devastating as hearing that sound come from those who'd risked everything, just for him. He closed his eyes for only a moment and swallowed hard as he felt his own desperation give way to the anger that was smoldering deep inside. If there was one thing he learned from the path he'd chosen to follow, it was that no one but him, deserved to suffer for the choices he'd made. "Let them go, you vengeful son of a bitch." He suddenly growled, his words coming out like a broken sentence as he struggled in vain to keep his anger in check.

Sam felt the chill run down his spine as he watched his older brother's hands clench into fists; his tone making it apparent that Michael had just crossed a very dangerous line. Though the characters flowed almost seamlessly into one and another, Sam could have sworn Dean had just switched places with the calloused man who grabbed Bela by the throat no more than fifteen minutes ago. Perhaps more terrifying than facing off against the Archangel at the helm of Heaven's army, was trying to figure out what the unstable and furious man at his side was about to do next.

"When I'm done with them." Michael started softly, offering a smirk as he continued to torture Castiel & Gabriel. "Little Sammy's next."

With rage clouding his judgment, Dean took a step forward but froze when Castiel reached out to clamp a hand down around his ankle, stopping him in his tracks. "Dean, don't." The fallen angel groaned, his words almost lost in his shallow breaths. "You can't cross over..."

"Easy there, boy." Michael said with a chuckle, watching as the young hunter took a glance down to the renegade angel convulsing at his feet. "You cross those flames and you're history..." He paused as he watched the other man's eyes momentarily drift back up to meet his gaze. "You're angel enough for that ring of Holy fire to work on you too..."

Those words had his stomach in knots the moment they left the archangel's mouth. Having no Heavenly power or ability whatsoever, he would have never thought such a thing would be able to trap him like it did the other angels. The anger and hatred that had been coursing through his veins only moments ago was now replaced with a fear he refused to let his brother or the Archangel see. He swallowed hard, his gaze falling down to the fire that burned around them as his mind raced with every worse case scenario imaginable. "You do realize, that no matter what you do at this point; you've already lost this war, right?" Dean suddenly started, the frankness of his voice masking the sheer terror that had suddenly gripped him. "I've already sent most of your boys running for the hills and when Lucifer shows up, he's going to finish you... if you'd rather die than admit defeat that's fine but just know that it's all going to end tonight and you had your chance to call it off."

"I'm not calling it off... and you're right, it is all going to end tonight." Michael replied casually, pausing as he caught the young hunter's eyes through the heat of the flames. "But you won't be around to see it end the way you want it to, because Lucifer's got his hands full in Scythe and you'll be dead before he realizes there's something wrong."

Dean swore under his breath as he watched archangels gather by the dozen in the scrap yard around them.Everywhere he looked, another one of them was stepping out of the darkness; the light of the flames reflecting off the blade in their hands. This was it, Heaven was making it's last move and Hell was nowhere to be found. "I want you to get in the car, Sam." He whispered, catching his younger brother's eyes for only a moment as he reached down to open the door to the idling Impala. "We might be stuck here like sitting ducks, but you aren't."

"Dean, I can't just..."

"I said get in the car, Sam." Dean demanded, his tone of voice instantly silencing the younger man. "I want you to go back to the house and find Bobby & the girls; pray that Bela can hold' em off long enough for Lucifer to get his ass over here."

"What about you guys?" Sam was quick to reply, the panic in his voice not quite as subdued as his older brother.

"We'll be fine, don't you worry about us." Dean continued, his eyes scanning the ominous crowd that was quickly gathering around them. "Just get to Bela. You'll be better off with the bitch who's got a VIP pass to Hell than you are with us right now."

Sam sucked in a breath as his eyes momentarily drifted down to Castiel & Gabriel, both were still hunched over on all fours, coughing and spitting up blood as they clutched their chests in obvious pain. Though the last thing he wanted to do was leave his older brother at the mercy of the archangels surrounding them, he knew there was no time to waste and no time to argue. He climbed in behind the wheel and Dean shut the door, leaning in through the open window to catch his eyes one last time. "Dude, how am I even supposed to get around them, they're archangels, they might as well all be brick walls..."

"Don't go around them, just plow them down as you go." Dean interrupted, cutting his brother short. "I know how crazy that sounds, but trust me Sam, it's gonna work." He said as he straightened out and took a step back.

Sam revved the engine a few times before slipping the shifter into drive and letting the rear wheels spin. His grip on the steering wheel tightened as he watched the archangels standing in his way get ready for the onslaught that was about to ensue. When he glanced down at the speedometer and noticed the Sigil carved right into the leather dash, he couldn't help but take a look back out the window towards his older brother. When Dean cracked a smile through the grim circumstances & despair, the chaos around them seem to vanish for a moment; along with it any trace of the ruthless man that had been walking around in his brother's skin.

"Lets show these winged bastards that we're not going down without one Hell of a fight." Dean said with a wink, placing a hand on his younger brother's shoulder before backing out of the way. "Show 'em what we got."

Sam took a deep breath as he pulled his foot off the brake, feeling the rear wheels spin freely for a moment before digging into the ground and launching the Impala through the wall of flames. Sinking into the well worn leather seat, he braced himself for the impact as the needle climbed and the car started plowing through the menacing crowd of waiting archangels. Though it all happened in a heartbeat, he swore to himself as they started to swarm the Impala like a pack of ravenous wolves, the ferocity catching him off guard as they tried in vain to stop him dead in his tracks. The sound of bodies hitting the hood and blades scraping against metal was deafening, the piercing light of the scorched wings, blinding, but Sam kept his eyes on Boby's house and his foot on the accelerator. Before he knew it, he was out of the crowd and across the scrap yard; the Impala baring the marks of the assault. He pulled up to the back porch and put the shifter in park, leaving the engine running as he stumbled out of the car and reached for his gun. Despite the trail of carnage he'd left behind, they were still coming for him and by the looks of it, they weren't going to stop until he was dead. Shooting down the handful that were quickly approaching, be backed his way into the house and made a run for the basement, stopping dead in his tracks when he turned a corner and came face to face with Bela.

"How did the heart to heart go?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder as Ellen, Jo and Bobby joined her in the living room. "Gunshots as part of a conversation are never a good sign." She continued, watching as the younger man tried to catch his breath. The second she caught his eyes, she reached for her silver blade. "What is it, Sam." She asked, her tone instantly changing as she picked up on his disposition. "Where is your brother and his renegades?"

"It's Michael." Sam started, getting straight to the point as he gestured towards the back door. "He's here and he's got all the archangels with him.... they've got Dean, Cas and Gabe caught in a ring of Holy fire out in the scrap yard..."

Bela swore under her breath as she took a quick glance down the hall. With the snap of her fingers, a pair of demons appeared by the back door ready to keep the archangels at bay. "I'll go find Lucifer, you four stay in the house... I can't afford to have you caught in the crossfire this time."

"No way, I can't sit this one out." Sam cut in, his grip on the gun tightening as he thought of the situation he'd left Dean in. "That's my brother out there and those archangels are going to tear him to shreds. They've already got Cas and Gabe down..."

"You go back out there and they're going to tear you to shreds too." Bela was quick to reply, her eyes instantly narrowing. "Dean made a deal with the Devil that is going to see Hell do everything it can to protect him from the angels. This is out of your hands now, let Lucifer worry about it."

"They don't have time to wait for Lucifer to make an appearance, they need help NOW." Sam growled as he pointed down the hall. "If Lucifer wanted to make good on his deal then he should have shown up the second Michael lit a ring of Holy fire around...."

"You step foot outside this house and I will send the Hell hounds after you." Bela hissed, unexpectedly raising her large silver blade up to the young hunter's throat as he turned to make his way down the hall. "You understand me?" She snarled, holding his eyes as one of the massive beasts stepped out behind Ellen, Bobby and Jo. "You're as emotionally unstable as your brother is ruthless and I can't trust you to make the right choice at a time like this, you're not in the right mind set Sam..." She paused for only a moment as thunder rumbled overhead. "Stay in the house and you'll be safe, let us worry about the situation outside. "

When Bela vanished right before their eyes, Sam couldn't help but swear to himself; putting a hand up to his throat as he turned to face the others. "We've got to help them." He started, loading his gun as he eyed the Hell hound watching them from the corner of the room. "Dean doesn't have a lot time left and he knows it."

"You know I really want to, Sam, but the bitch said to stay here." Bobby was quick to reply. "I hate to say it, but with Hell's army at her back, I think we should listen..."

"She didn't say to stay here, she said to stay in the house." Sam interrupted, eyeing the stairway before taking a quick glance down the hall to the demons standing at the back door. "Bobby, Ellen, I want you two to run downstairs and get some rifles; Jo, I need your help cutting out the screens in the windows upstairs."  
  
"You mind telling us what the plan is, first?" Ellen asked.

"Lucifer has five minutes to get his ass over here and get Dean out of there. If he doesn't show up, then we're doing it our way." Sam was quick to reply. "Michael might be off limits but everyone else out there is fair game, I'll shoot them down one by one if I have to."

* * *

"You are such a good actor." Michael started, his tone of voice pulling Dean's eyes away from the idling Impala in the distance. "Telling your brother you're going to be fine, all the while you're wondering if it's the last time he's ever going to see you alive again."

Trapped in a ring of Holy fire and surrounded by dozens of archangels with nothing left to loose, Dean couldn't help but feel like he had just reached the end of the line. He swore to himself, turning his attention away from Heaven's leader as he tried in vain to gather his scattered thoughts. The sound of his heart pounding, the flames crackling and the Impala idling in the distance were the only things he was able to register as he eyed the menacing crowd. Coming to terms with the dire situation at hand, he took a deep breath; this was it for him, and there wasn't a demon or devil in sight that could save him now. "You've got me where you want me you son of a bitch." He quietly started, his voice drifting eerily on a bitter breeze. "Do what you want with me but let them go." He continued, his eyes narrowing as the turn of Michael's wrist drew another agonizing scream from the pair of renegade angels at his feet.

"Why should I?" Michael was quick to reply. "Seems to be a package deal these days..."

"I said let them go..." Dean growled, ignoring the archangel's comments as his hand slowly reached around for the gun tucked into the back of his belt. "I'm not going to ask you again."  
  
"What are you going to do, Dean?" Michael asked with a chuckle. "Take a good look around you... I snap my fingers and the only thing separating you from all of them, disappears." There was a moment of silence as he watched the young hunter take a glance at the waiting archangels around him, the lightning above shedding some light on a truly macabre scene. "Consider yourself lucky that you'll be dead before you even hit the ground... because that won't be the case with these two; No, we're going to take our time ripping them to shreds from the inside and when we're done with them, we're going after Sam and the rest of your little crew."

Dean felt his heart sink like a stone as he held Michael's eyes; the archangel's malicious words now circling in his head as he contemplated drawing his one and only weapon. Though he knew killing Heaven's rogue leader wasn't going to save him, he was ready to take Michael down with him if it meant giving Castiel & Gabriel a fighting chance and giving Lucifer the upper hand. The second his fingers wrapped around the handle of his gun was the moment a sharp pain in his chest forced him to his knees.

"I want you to hold that thought." The archangel growled, watching as the younger man joined the renegade angels in his grip. "Angry and irrational doesn't seem to get you where you want to go these days."

As Dean started gasping and coughing up blood, he couldn't help but release his weapon; reaching instead for the cold hard ground in an attempt to brace himself against the pain of each and every breath. "You better just kill me now." He breathed, his words drowning in the agony. "Before I kill you."

"You really don't think about the consequences of your actions do you?" Michael asked bluntly. "Remember the fine print, Dean? You harm me in any way and Lucifer gets to do what he wants to your brother..." Michael paused for only a moment as the young hunter looked up at him through the wall of flames. "I did my research and I found out that if you want Sam to survive this, then you & your entourage can't lay a hand on me. In hindsight, you didn't really think that deal through, did you?"

Dean swore to himself as he felt his chest tighten, the sound of his own heart racing now louder than the looming storm overhead. "You're going to be sorry when Lucifer shows up." He groaned, spitting out a mouthful of blood as his eyes drifted over to Castiel who was on the ground beside him; the angel's sharp blade reflecting the flames around them.

"Lucifer doesn't scare me and neither do you." Michael replied with a slight grin. "You and your little demon & disgraced angel outcast army might have sent my soldiers running but that's as far you're going to get...." He started, watching as the other man struggled to cope with the pain of every breath. "You want to know why, Dean? Because when it comes right down to it, I know that Lucifer wont be able to stand up to me and that you won't subject your little brother to a world of pain he can't imagine." Michael explained, finally releasing his hold on the angels at his mercy. "Don't mean to rain on your parade but Lucifer hasn't changed and he never will."

When the searing pain in his chest instantly faded, Dean couldn't help but take advantage of a deep breath, relieved not to feel the pins and needles dig in as a result. He quickly picked himself up off the ground and put a hand out to help Castiel do the same. "If that's what you think, then you're in for one Hell of a surprise." He hissed, making sure Castiel could stand on his own before he turned his attention to an equally battered Gabriel.

"Tell you the truth, I'm surprised already... I think I was wrong about you." Michael quietly started, his tone of voice getting the young hunter's attention away from the renegade angels at his side. "Lucifer may not have changed but you certainly have." He paused for only a moment as he watched the other man wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his sleeve. "I might have missed it at first glance but I see it now, I see it in your eyes and I see it in what's left of your soul... There is definitely a little something twisted lurking under the surface. Something's off inside that guilt riddled soul of yours, isn't it, Dean?" Michael asked, smiling as the other man's eyes instantly narrowed and his hands clenched into fists. "I'm curious now, about what's more important to you these days..."   
  
When Michael snapped his fingers and the ring of Holy fire burning around them disappeared, Dean felt his breath catch in the back of his throat. For a moment, he could have sworn his heart had skipped a beat. With the crowd of archangels slowly moving in, he reached for the gun in the back of his belt as Castiel clutched his blade and Gabriel loaded the gun in his hand. Catching Michael's eyes, he loaded his gun and held it out at arm's length. "Just remember that whether I die or not, you've already lost this war." Dean started, ignoring the crowd as he focused on only one of the many archangels around him.

"I might have nothing left to loose but you certainly do and it's much more than just your life." Michael replied, a sinister smile to the corner of his lips as he casually crossed his arms. "So what's more important, Dean? Seeing me die or seeing Sam live?"

* * *

Sam swore under his breath as the ring of Holy fire suddenly disappeared, plunging all those gathered around it into the darkness of night. Waiting on a bed of nails for Lucifer to intervene, he had been crouched by the window of a second story bedroom; Bobby at his side, Ellen & Jo occupying the window one room over and a high powered rifle in his tight grip should the Devil fail to show. Though Bela reassured him Hell would do all in its power to get the trio out of harm's way, Sam couldn't help but doubt her words as he watched the only thing separating Dean, Castiel and Gabriel from certain death vanish before Lucifer and his demons even showed up. "This isn't good..." He started, loading his weapon as he looked through the scope at where the ring of Holy fire had been burning only seconds ago. "By the time Lucifer shows up, if he does at all, it's going to be too late."

"Doesn't matter how good a shot you are, boy." Bobby started, his tone of voice breaking an eerie silence that had suddenly filled the room. "You can't see in the dark and even if you could, the second you fire a shot into that crowd you're going to set them off like firecrackers."  
  
When lightning lit up the sky and Sam caught a glimpse of Dean standing in the middle of Heaven's army; his gun drawn and pointed at Michael, he knew they were out of time. The deal his older brother had made with Lucifer haunted him as he helplessly watched Dean make what would no doubt be his finale stand. As the temporary light faded and the sound of gunshots suddenly filled the air, his heart sank like a stone. He knew it was over.


	14. Take no prisoners this time

Like a drop of blood in shark infested waters; the second Dean squeezed the trigger was the very moment the archangel's moved in. Though the first shot was meant for Michael, his deal with Lucifer forced him to take aim for one of the many others gathered around them instead. Without missing a beat, he fired one shot after another, each bullet taking an archangel down as he tried in vain to keep them at bay. Despite a valiant effort, the odds were against him from the start and in no time, he felt the walls closing in. When one of them lashed out at him with a sharp blade in hand, Dean took a nervous step back and bumped into Castiel, who in turn backed into Gabriel.

"I don't think we can hold them off any longer." Castiel started, taking a swing with his own blade at one of the archangels within his reach. "There's just too many of them..."  
  
"Gee you think?" Gabriel snapped, taking a quick glance over his shoulder as he loaded his gun and moved on to next archangel closest to him. "That's some deal you made there, Winchester." He continued, pulling the trigger, cocking the gun and repeating the motion as they continued to approach. "Keeping the dick that want's you dead off limits... real smart. Then again, I'm talking to the man that made a deal with the king of Hell."

"Small price to pay for stopping the Apocalypse, Gabe." The young hunter barked, swearing under his breath as he felt one of the many blades graze his left hand. Unable to really make any headway, Dean quickly realized that it was now only a matter of time before he ran out of bullets. The gun in his hand was the only thing holding the archangels off, and pausing for even a second to reload his clip would give them the opportunity they needed to swiftly move in and finish him. Though he knew it was coming, knowing didn't ease the sinking feeling of dread that was starting to take over; a gun can only hold so many bullets and a man can only take so much. "The ring of Holy fire keeps us in, but keeps them out, right?" He asked, the desperation in his voice apparent as he reached over to grab Castiel by the shoulder, dragging him forward to switch places. Putting himself between his two renegades, he tucked his gun away and turned his attention from shooting down archangels to rummaging around his pockets for a lighter. "Just keep them off my back..."

"If you've got an ace up your sleeve, you'd better pull it out fast." Gabriel replied, doing his best to keep the crowd in front of him at arm's length. When he turned slightly to the left to take a shot at an archangel that was too close for comfort, one on the right seized the opportunity and landed a slash to his right shoulder. "C'mon Dean..." He muttered, ignoring the pain and the blood trickling down his arm as he continued to shoot them down one by one.

* * *

Passing through him like an unforgiving breeze, the crackling sound of gunfire made Sam's breath catch in the back of his throat. Perhaps even more chilling than the sound of gun shots, was the short bursts of light that followed every one of them; the flash lifting the chaotic scene out of the darkness for just a fraction of a second each time. What he could see in the limited light was painful to watch but what he saw next when lightning lit up the sky, was downright heartbreaking. Castiel, Dean and Gabriel were standing at the very center of the crowd, the little distance there was left between them and the archangels vanishing at an alarming rate. Michael was standing off to the side, watching as his army surged like a rolling wave towards the trio that were caught in the middle. Lucifer was still nowhere in sight and as the temporary light faded, so did all hope that the Devil would hold up his end of their bargain. "We need to do something." Sam started, loading the rifle in his hands and setting it down on the window sill before turning to face the veteran hunter at his side. "If you get a clear shot at Michael, take it." He continued, catching the other man's eyes for only a moment before leaning out the open window to take a look down at the idling Impala parked just below.

"Sam I don't know what you have in mind but if Michael goes down, you're history." Bobby was quick to reply, watching as the young hunter turned to face him a second time. "The deal..."

"Forget about the deal." Sam interrupted, instantly silencing the older man. "I need you to save Dean any way that you can." He continued, pointing towards the window with one hand as he pulled the gun from the back of his belt with the other. "If you get the shot, take it." He held Bobby's eyes for a moment before turning to make his way towards the door.

"How can you ask me to do that, knowing the second I kill Michael, your ass belongs to Lucifer?" Bobby snapped, reaching out to grab the younger man by the shoulder and forcing him to stop in his tracks. "How can you ask me to kill you?"  
  
"I didn't ask you to kill me, I asked you to save him." Sam replied without missing a beat, his eyes drifting over his shoulder as Ellen and Jo entered the room. "One of us is going to die tonight no matter how you look at it." He paused as the rumbling sound of thunder drowned out the echo of gunshots outside. "I know it makes you feel like you have to pick one of us over the other but Dean needs help and Michael needs to be stopped... So I'm sorry that it's a pull on your heartstrings, but you NEED to do this."  
  
"I can't" Bobby replied simply, his gaze drifting down to the floor at his feet as his mind started to race. "I just can't do it."  
  
"I'll take the shot." Jo offered, loading the rifle in her hands as Sam turned to face her. "If this is what you really want, then I'll take the shot." She continued quietly, swallowing hard as he caught her eyes. "And if Lucifer shows up too late to do anything about it, than I'll take him down too."  
  
"No, leave Lucifer out of it." Sam was quick to reply. "If he dies by our hand, Bela will have those demons on our ass before he even hits the ground. "  
  
 "What are you going to do, Sam?" Ellen asked.

"Distract them." The young hunter replied. "While I'm out there I want you and Bobby to take out any archangels that you can, just start at the back and work your way in." As he turned to make his way out the hall, Ellen reached out and pulled him into a tight hug. For a moment, he couldn't help but feel the comfort that only a mother could offer. When Ellen pulled away, he took a deep breath. "Alright, lets get 'em out of there." He announced, catching Bobby's eyes before he made his way out the hall.

With the gun in his tight grip, Sam hurried down the stairs; his eyes scanning the hall as he approached the last few steps. Though he couldn't see the Hell hound, he knew it was there somewhere. Keeping a watchful eye for the dog, he quickly made his way to the back door and raised his gun as the pair of demons standing guard turned to face him. "They need me." He said simply as he caught their eyes.  
  
"You heard what Bela said." One of the demons replied. "You need to stay out of it, got back upstairs with the others."

When the low growl of the vicious beast caught his attention, Sam couldn't help but turn slightly to watch as the Hell hound stepped out into the hall behind him. His heart started to race, but it wasn't the Hell hound he was worried about, it was the sound of gunshots outside and how they were getting more sporadic by the second. With no time for hesitation, he took aim at the beast and pulled the trigger, eliminating the threat as the Hell hound instantly dropped to the floor. "Now step aside, or you're next." He hissed as he turned his attention back to the demons in the doorway. When they both took a step back to let him go by, he couldn't help but feel the power of control Dean and Bela had been talking about; how if the demons feared him, they would do anything to please him. "Make sure those angels don't get in." He said over his shoulder as he climbed down the back steps and slid in behind the wheel of the Impala, right where he had left her idling. He slipped the car into drive and put his foot on the gas, eyeing the crowd through the cracks of the windshield as he started plowing them down, hoping the light or their scorched wings would be enough to give Bobby and Ellen targets.

* * *

Dean swore under his breath as he fumbled with his lighter and struggled to keep his balance while getting shoved around like a pinball in play between Castiel & Gabriel. "Oh c'mon." He muttered to himself, almost pleading with the lighter in his hands to spark a flame he could use to re-ignite the ring of Holy fire around them. Though he knew his solution to their current situation was temporary, it was the only one he could think of. With the relentless archangels refusing to back off, all he needed and wanted was a moment out of their reach where he could catch his breath and reload his gun; their survival was counting on it. So when an archangel's blade sliced into his hand and down across his wrist, the pain of the injury forcing him to release his grip on the only chance they had; the blow was more than physically painful, in was devastating. Looking up through the crowd in front of him, he couldn't help but notice Michael's sadistic grin, it was the very same grin he always hated seeing on Zachariah's face. He clutched his right wrist in pain as he took a deep breath; feeling the warmth of his blood as it trickled through his fingers and ran down his arm made it all hit home. Even if Hell had managed to come out on top and put Heaven back in its place, this was over for him and his renegades. He knew it was the moment Michael lit that ring of Holy fire but it had yet to sink in, until now.

Though he could hear the Impala's revving engine over the noise of the crowd and the sound of gunshots coming from Bobby's house, it gave him little hope as he eyed the archangels that were now within reach. When a drop of blood hit the ground by his feet and the glimmer of a spark caught his eye, Dean couldn't help but watch, frozen in the moment as the spark ignited the ring of Holy Fire around them. The flame traveled quickly along the ground, cutting through the crowd and forcing surprised archangels to take panicked steps back or face being caught in the ring with the trio. A dead silence fell over the crowd, the sound of the Impala's revving engine and spinning wheels now the only thing that dominated the night as Castiel and Gabriel quickly got rid of the few archangels that were trapped on the inside with them. Looking for the source of the spark, he couldn't help but watch as the archangels cleared a path and Lucifer stepped into the scene, Bela to his right and a Hell hound to his left.  
  
"About time he shows up." Gabriel muttered under his breath as he hurried to reload the gun in his hands. 

* * *

Jo swore under her breath as she watched Lucifer casually walk into the clear shot she had of Michael. "The son of a bitch is in the way." She said as she looked over to catch her mother's eyes. "Now what am I supposed to do?" She asked, watching as the Impala continued to plow through the crowd of archangels.

"Let the Devil deal with Michael." Ellen quickly replied as she loaded her rifle. "You focus on taking them down one by one like Sam wanted us to do."

* * *

"That's enough Michael." Lucifer started, coming to a stop in front of his estranged brother. "You've already lost this war so call them off and go back up to Heaven where you belong." There was a moment of silence as he watched Michael take a quick glance around, taking notice of the demons that were lurking in the scrap yard around them. "This crusade of yours, is over and there is no home for you here."  
  
"You should be grateful." Michael calmly started. "You could have been locked away in Hell for many more years." He paused for only a moment as lightning lit up the sky and the sound of a gunshot tore the night. "If it weren't for me, you'd still be down there right now... I made sure everything fell into place, that your demons were able to get the ball rolling to free you from your prison"  
  
"What you did was deceitful." Lucifer was quick to reply. "And I will not be used as an excuse to justify your intentions. You have no business here, so gather what's left or your army and leave."  
  
"Or what, Lucifer?" Michael asked with a grin, watching as the Devil pulled out his blade. "Are you and your demons really going to make us leave? Don't tell me you let these pests crawl under your skin." He continued, pointing towards Castiel, Gabriel and Dean. "If you weren't aware, that Guardian Angel there spent most of his life hunting and killing your demons..."  
  
"The demons he killed, are the wayward ones that didn't follow their orders down below." Lucifer growled as his gaze momentarily drifted over his shoulder to the trio surrounded by flames. "And what he's done pales in comparison to what you're responsible for."

"Is he really worth saving? Are any of them?" Michael asked, his tone of voice pulling the Devil's eyes back up to his gaze. "Why should they get all of this?"

"Because that's just the way it is... and you have no right to take it away from any one of them." Lucifer replied, the grip on his blade tightening as he watched Michael reach for his own weapon.  
  
"I've cast you out and imprisoned you before." Michael started. "You should know better than face off against me like this little brother." He continued as he took a quick look at his archangels, most of them now keeping a watchful eye on the Impala as it made another pass and took another five or six souls with it.  
  
"Your angels have already turned away, it was a smart move and I strongly suggest that you and your archangels do the same." Lucifer replied softly.

"If you want me back up in Heaven, then you're just going to have to put me there yourself little brother." Michael replied, his tone of voice low.  
  
Dean swore under his breath as Michael took a sudden step forward, the blade in his hand sparking as it came into contact with Lucifer's weapon. The moment the pair started fighting, all Hell broke loose around them. Demons and Hell hounds that had been lurking in the darkness were now in the throes of battle with determined archangels. Though he was trapped in a ring of Holy fire at the heart of the Heaven & Hell conflict, it was suddenly the safest place Dean thought he could be. When the sound of a gunshot echoed in the night and one of the archangels nearby fell to the ground, his eyes glanced up towards Bobby's house, catching the flicker of a light in one of the darkened windows. Though he could see no one there, the continuous sound of gunshots was enough to let him know that Bobby, Ellen and Jo were doing all they could to thin out the crowd one archangel at a time. Still clutching his injured hand, he watched as Gabriel loaded his gun and began shooting down the distracted archangels around them, starting with the one that was trying to get the best of Bela.  
  
"You're bleeding..." Castiel remarked, his tone of voice pulling the young hunter's attention away from the battle field. "Are you alright?"

"Define alright, Cas...." Dean was quick to reply, his eyes scanning the disarray around them for a moment before focusing on the renegade angel in front of him. Though he knew Castiel was referring to the gash and the blood that was dripping from his hand, Dean couldn't help but think of much bigger things to worry about at the moment. "We are stuck in the middle of a war that wasn't supposed to happen anytime soon..." He paused as lightning once again lit up the sky, the thunder that followed more violent than ever as the storm circled overhead. "Fighting for Hell was the only shot I thought we had to stop this..." He explained, the anger in his voice now harboring the despair. "I put my life and my soul on the line to prevent it from coming to this but here we are anyway, so I guess that just proves..."

"It ain't over yet kid, so don't start talking about how wrong you were to go out on that limb." Gabriel snapped, taking a quick glance over his shoulder as he continued to offer Bela the backup she needed while she fought the archangels that were swarming around her. "You joined the ranks of Hell just so we could stay one step ahead of Heaven and it worked... we'd already all be dead if it weren't for you." He paused for only a moment as Bela shoved an archangel forward into the ring of Holy fire; the moment it came into contact with the flames, it simply vanished into a flash of light. "You need to learn when to give yourself the credit you deserve and you need to accept that there are some things you can't prevent, no matter what you do or how hard you try."

"Gabriel is right." Castiel said as he turned the blade in his hand, his eyes momentarily catching those of the young hunter. "Just because you didn't stop Heaven cold in it's track, it doesn't mean you failed."

"Well thanks for the uplifting moment guys." Dean started, his gaze pulled into the crowd as an archangel's scream broke through all the noise. "Makes me feel a little less like crap for dragging you all under with me, but it doesn't really help get..." Dean trailed off as he watched Lucifer dodge a slash to the throat, a move he knew would ultimately cost the Devil more than just his defensive stance. It was a vulnerable reflex the young hunter instantly recognized as a moment of weakness; years of training with his Father had taught him that much, but before he could warn anyone about what he knew was coming next, Michael seized the opportunity and plunged his blade into Lucifer's chest.

Watching Lucifer drop to his knees in front of Michael was a chilling sight the young hunter would never forget. Just like that, the king of Hell and the strongest weapon in their arsenal against Heaven, was gone. It happened so fast, that the fighting demons & archangels weren't aware until a streak of blinding light pierced the stormy night, bringing the chaos to a halt as all eyes turned towards the pair. When Michael pulled his blade free and Lucifer collapsed, his massive wings scorching the ground alongside him, an eerie silence and sudden calm washed over to the crowd. The lull however, was short lived as Bela started slashing her way towards Michael, cutting down anyone that stood between her and Heaven's petty leader. With the archangels doing everything they could to keep her from reaching Michael and the demons doing all in their power to keep the archangels away from Bela, it wasn't long before the chaos in the scrap yard resumed with more ferocity than before.

Unfazed by Bela's futile attempt to confront him and no doubt sink her own blade into his flesh, a sinister smile crept up from the corner of Michael's lips as he turned his attention towards the trio that stood trapped in a ring of Holy fire. "You still think you're going to win this war?" He asked drily, the Devil's blood dripping down his blade as he stepped over the empty vessel at his feet.

Ignoring the searing pain in his hand, Dean reached for his gun as Michael caught his eyes. His heart was racing and when his grip on the handle tightened, he couldn't help but feel his heart pulsing in the open wound; each throb sending a fresh trickle of blood down his arm. "I know we are, you son of a bitch." He growled, wincing as he loaded his weapon and took aim at the archangel standing only a few feet away. "Cause what you just did, voids my contract." When he squeezed the trigger, he was expecting to put an end to the war raging around him once and for all, but when nothing happened, his breath caught in his throat and a chill went down his spine. The sound of his gun firing on an empty chamber was suddenly much louder than the battlefield around him, the storm overhead, the Impala's roaring engine and the crackling of flames at his feet. It was the only sound he heard and the one he would never be able to forget should he survive his encounter with Heaven's merciless leader.  
  
"Talk about taking the wind out of your sails" Michael said with a grin as he snapped his fingers and once again extinguished the ring of Holy fire. He passed his long blade from one hand to the other and let out a chuckle as he watched Dean take a panicked step back and Castiel take a defensive one forward. "That poor excuse of a Guardian Angel isn't worth dying for." Michael started, his menacing tone of voice low.

"Depends who you ask." Gabriel spat as he turned on the spot and took aim from between Dean and Castiel, pulling the trigger before Michael had time to react. He had been so focused with getting his hands on the defiant man in front of him and cutting Castiel down in the process, that he was caught off guard when he took a bullet to the chest from the gun of an archangel who once worked alongside him. Though Gabriel quickly reloaded the gun in his hands, he knew there would be no need for another shot; the war between Heaven and Hell was over before Michael even hit the ground. He watched in silence as both sides came to a sudden stop, Michael's massive wings overlapping Lucifer's as they both lay dead in the scrap yard.

Dean couldn't help but feel out in the open as he eyed the now leaderless crowd in front of him, their sudden calmness coming across as both superficial and eerie under the current circumstance. The panic was once again starting to set in, as he realized there was nothing separating him and his two renegades from the dozens of archangels that had swarmed them no more than fifteen minutes ago. Though Bela and her demons were there, he couldn't shake the feeling that the archangels would stop at nothing to fulfill their leaders mission; it wouldn't matter if all of Hell was watching out for him, because the angels would find a way to get their hands around his throat. The seconds dragged on and when not one of them made a move, he turned his attention to Gabriel who was holding a gun out at arm's length to give everyone a clear view.

"Alright listen up!" Gabriel shouted into the crowd, the authority in his voice forcing all eyes to turn towards him. "This crusade of yours is over and anyone who disagrees, is going to be joining Michael." He paused for only a moment as he watched nervous archangels take a glance at the demons that were standing among them. "Go back up to Heaven with the others; that's where you belong and that's where you're going to stay unless I say otherwise. Do I make myself clear? I killed Michael and take my word, I will not hesitate killing any one of you if you don't do as I say."

As quickly as they had first appeared, the dozens of archangels left standing were gone, along with them, the continuous storm that had been raging overhead for days. It almost seemed too good to be true, but when Bela took a glance over her shoulder and Hell's army of demons instantly vanished, Dean knew it was for real, their ordeal was finally over. He took a deep breath but swore under his breath as the pang in his wrist reminded him of another dire situation he was dealing with. The deep gash, he knew was bad and the amount of blood he was loosing by the second cast a dark cloud over their current victory; it was now the only thing he could think of. Unable to withstand the pain any longer, he let the gun fall from his grip and clamped a hand over the open wound, the movement catching Castiel's watchful eye.

"Let me have a look at that." Castiel started softly, his tone of voice pulling Dean's attention away from the gun at his feet.

Dean swallowed hard as he extended his arm to the angel in front of him, the sight of his own blood everywhere making him sick to the stomach. When Castiel reached out to grab him by the wrist, he couldn't help but suck in a breath; the pain in his wrist was now burning him alive. Though it only lasted a fraction of a second, the intensity was like nothing he'd ever felt before. Gabriel closing the gash in his side didn't even compare to the pain Castiel had just put him through. When the angel finally pulled away, Dean struggled to catch his breath, his eyes glancing down to where the cut had been before focusing on the renegade angel.

"Sorry, I should have warned you." Castiel quietly started, pausing for only a moment as Bela let out a chuckle. "The pain you felt, was the blood being forced into your system." He explained, wiping away his own blood from the cut he had made in the palm of his hand.

"Yeah, consider yourself lucky kid, because angel's blood doesn't exactly mix with everything." Gabriel added, watching as Dean took another look down at his wrist.  
  
"You put your blood in..."

"You already had angel blood in you." Castiel was quick to interrupt. "What I did was just replenished your system."

"Well that was a rather touching moment, it's a shame your brother missed it." Bela said with a smirk, her eyes drifting across the scrap yard as the Impala continued to spin circles in the dirt; the bodies strewn around it a testament of its effective use as a weapon. "By the time he's done, you're going to need another car."  
  
"I don't understand what he's doing..." Castiel quietly said, he too watching as the tires spun and the dirt flew in all direction.

"He's doing doughnuts." Gabriel explained with a slight chuckle as he snapped his fingers and brought the Impala's engine to a stop. "Ten bucks says he had his eyes closed the entire time..." The archangel continued, watching as the younger man finally emerged from the severely scratched and dented car.  
  
"Gambling is a sin." Bela replied with a grin, her eyes catching those of the archangel standing in front of her. "Now if you'll all excuse me, I have a bit of a mess to clean up and some business to attend to down below." When she turned to leave, Dean couldn't help but reach out to place a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.

"Bela I'm sorry." The young hunter started, his words catching in the back of his throat as she caught his eyes. "For the way that I..."  
  
"Don't apologize." Bela was quick to interrupt. "What you did was part of the job and you did it well." She paused for only a moment as the smirk crept up from the corner of her lips. "Now promise me that I won't see what's left of your soul on the market anytime soon." When the young hunter gave her a nod, her gaze drifted back to Gabriel. "You keep yours above and I'll do what I can to keep mine down below, deal?"

Dean couldn't help but smile as he watched Heaven's new leader and Hell's next in line shake hands. With the Apocalypse over and both Michael & Lucifer dead, he knew that what he was witnessing, was a new beginning and a turning point for all of them. "See you around, Bela..." He said as he watched her turn away and vanish into the night.

"Dean, I want you to know that I was wrong about you." Gabriel suddenly started, glancing over his shoulder for only a moment as Sam joined them. "You managed to survive a second round down below without loosing sight of what's important up here... you proved us wrong and I think it's safe to say that I speak for all of us, when I say that I'm thankful for that."  
  
Dean couldn't help but smile as Gabriel held his gun out. "You keep it." The young hunter was quick to reply as he watched Bobby, Ellen and Jo step down the back steps and start to make their way over, pausing by the Impala to survey the damage. "You might need it to keep your new army in check... thanks for everything Gabe."

"Keep an eye on these two, Cas." Gabriel said with a gin as he caught the renegade angel's eyes. "And be sure to have a little fun sometime."

When Gabriel vanished into the night, Dean couldn't help but take a deep breath, his gaze first drifting down to Michael and Lucifer's bodies on the ground before drifting up to the stars they hadn't seen in days. "I was starting to forget how quiet and peaceful it was out here at night." He said without looking over at Sam or Castiel.

Watching as Bobby, Ellen and Jo made their way over, Sam couldn't help but wonder what had kept the young woman from taking the shot he knew would have instantly put an end to the raging war. Before he could even ask, their eyes met and she gave him her explanation.

"I never got a clear shot." Jo started, her gaze momentarily drifting down to the bodies strewn around the scrap yard. "First Lucifer was in the way and then it was Castiel." She continued, a slight smile to the corner of her lips as she caught the angel's eyes. "So I thought it might be in all of our best interests not to take the shot."

"Good call." Sam replied with a chuckle.

Eyeing the Impala from across the scrap yard, Dean couldn't help but feel his heart sink. The windows that weren't shattered were cracked and every inch of black paint he could see was marred by scratches and gouges from the archangels' blades. The bumpers at both ends were dented and the headlights & tails lights were smashed. Not to mention the Sigil he had carved right into the leather dash; his baby was bearing the scars for all to see. "She's in pretty bad shape, isn't she?" He asked, his eyes catching Sam's for only a moment as his mind drifted back to when his younger brother had driven the classic car through a wall of fire.

"She's seen worse." Sam was quick to reply. "I'm sure it's nothing that can't be fixed."

"I sure hope you're right."


	15. Rest assured I will not let you Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!  
> 

Dean couldn't help but let his mind wander as he shifted the Impala into park, his eyes instantly drawn to the Sigil that was carved right into the leather dash. Though weeks had gone by and work on the car had brought it back to a near pristine shape, the memories of that hellish night were still as vivid as they were sharp, and some of the scars, Dean just wasn't ready to cover up. So despite Bobby's suggestions to reupholster the Impala's leather interior, complimenting its fresh coat of glossy black paint, the strategic cuts in the dash were still there... just like the ones that adorned what was left of the young hunter's soul.

"We just going to sit here all day, or are we actually going to do this?" Sam asked, his voice pulling the other man's attention away from his scattered thoughts. "I told Bobby, Ellen and Jo we'd be back before dark to help them hunt down that Shapeshifer Bobby's been trailing." Dean didn't give him a reply as he cut the engine and took the keys out of the ignition, his eyes drifting out the window to the cemetery they were parked in. Though Sam hated to admit it, Castiel & Gabriel had been right about the aftermath of Dean's deal with Lucifer. The mental anguish was hard to miss and only time would tell if Dean was strong enough to overcome the guilt that was trailing him for sinking back into his old ways. "Hey, you alright?" Sam asked, his tone of voice instantly softening.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Dean quietly replied, finally looking over to catch his younger brother's eyes. "It's just, I use to hate coming here... like really hate being here." He said, pausing for a moment as he struggled to find the right words, thoughts of his mother and the difficult choices she had to make crowding his already troubled mind. "Now that we know more about what happened... more about mom's past, I just regret feeling the way I did."

"Dude just cause you use to hate coming here, it doesn't mean you ever hated...." Sam silenced as he watched his older brother suck in a breath, the tears were threatening to fall again as he talked about the guilt that was slowly eating away at his core. "Look, I think it'll be good for you, you need to get it off your chest." Sam calmly explained.

"Sam, after all the shit I've done..." Dean started, his grip on the steering wheel tightening as he thought of the many souls he'd tortured in Hell; human, angel and demon alike. "I don't even feel like I belong here..." He continued, his eyes closing as flashbacks of a dark past crossed his mind. For a moment, he could have sworn he felt the cold steel of the blade clutched in his right hand.

"If mom was alive, I'm pretty sure she would have forgiven you by now." Sam was quick to reply. "Hell, I'm starting to think she would have done all the same things you did if the fate of mankind was in her hands instead of yours." He paused for only a moment as he watched Dean's gaze drift back to the Sigil in the dash. "I think you're being too hard on yourself, Dean... and the only way you'll get over this is if you talk to her yourself. You just need to say it, I bet you'll feel better after you do."

"I hope you're right." Dean quietly replied, grabbing the dozen roses from the seat between them as he got out of the car. "Because I am sick and tiered of running through every little detail in my head." He continued as he shut the door. When he turned to face his younger brother, he couldn't help but smile slightly as Castiel joined them; the angel keeping a safe distance between himself and the Impala. "You know you can touch the car, right?" He started, watching as Castiel eyed the Impala as if it were a loaded weapon pointed towards him. "That Sigil only worked because Sam was running them over, not because the Archangels were touching the car."

Sam couldn't help but let out a chuckle as Castiel shook his head. "I'd rather not touch it, not after all the damage I've seen it do."

"Cas, if you can hold that gun Dean gave you, then you can touch the car." Sam explained.  
  
"I'd still rather not touch it." The angel replied simply.  
  
Dean cracked a smile as his gaze drifted down to the dozen roses in his hands; Sam's suggestion of an apology for all the times he felt he had disappointed her. "You guys mind hanging back for a minute?" He asked as he caught his younger brother's eyes.  
  
"Not at all, take your time." Sam replied, leaning forward to cross his arms on the roof of the car.

"Careful you don't scratch the paint with that watch..."

Sam pulled away from the Impala before Dean could finish his sentence, the smile creeping up from the corner of his lips as he watched the other man turn away. "Well I'm glad he didn't redo the interior, I'd never be able to sit in the thing..." He muttered under his breath, looking over as he noticed Castiel's smirk. "How's Gabe doing up above?" He asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Everything under control?"  
  
"For the most part, yes." Castiel quietly replied. "They're starting to realize they have no other choice and that Gabriel will not tolerate any disobedience."

"I'm having a hard time picturing Gabriel as Heaven's new bad ass." Sam started, thoughts of the trickster at the helm of Heavens army coming to mind. "You know what else I'm having a hard time with? You being his right hand man and his direct link to us. Sometimes I forget you're an angel, Cas." Sam said with a smile. "But then you miss one of Dean's punch lines and I remember that you're not quite like us."

"I'm not like you and your brother, but I'm not quite like them anymore either." Castiel replied, referring to the angels and archangels under Gabriel's rule as he pulled out the gun Dean had given to him. Though he still carried his own blade, it was the gun in his hands that set him apart from the others above; something he and Gabriel had in common.

"No, you're not like them anymore." Sam agreed, watching as Castiel passed a finger over the Sigil that was engraved in the handle of his gun. "We need to take you out for some more target practice."

"How is shooting beer cans off a fence post considered practice?" Castiel asked, tucking his new weapon of choice away.

"That's how Dad taught us to aim." Sam explained. "By the time Dean's done with you, you'll be able to hit a mark with both eyes closed."  
  
"How is your brother doing?" Castiel quietly asked, watching as Dean walked the rows of headstones in front of them, a bouquet of long stem red roses clutched in his right hand.

Sam let out a sigh as he too turned his attention towards his older brother. "He's doing alright, I guess."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well it's hard to tell how he's doing, Cas." Sam continued. "He feels like he let mom down and I don't think he's forgiven himself for what he did down in Hell."

"In time, I'm sure he will... he's much stronger than I first thought he was." Castiel admitted, his comments pulling the younger man's eyes away from Dean for a moment. "He will find his way through this, showing remorse is a step in the right direction."

* * *

When his eyes caught his mother's name on one of the headstones to his left, Dean couldn't help but pause in his steps. The last time he'd been there was when Sam had buried their father's dogtags years ago. Swallowing hard, he made his way over, his grip on the bouquet of roses tightening as he came to a stop in front of her grave. Despite the early morning sun shining bright on his shoulders, he couldn't help but feel like he was standing under the lightning storm that had been centered over Scythe weeks ago. It could have been the guilt of not visiting more often or the circumstances that had brought him there, either way, Dean was beside himself on how he should feel standing in front of his mother's grave.

"Sam thinks he had to twist my arm just to get me to come out here." He quietly started, a nervous smile creeping up from the corner of his lips as he knelt down to place the roses next to her monument. "Truth is, I didn't need much convincing." He continued, putting a hand up against the marble. Feeling the warmth of the sun on the stone reminded him that the storm wasn't raging overhead anymore, now it was raging inside and it was up to him to clear those dark clouds from his troubled mind. "I know this might sound crazy to you, but I've got to tell you, so here goes nothing." He paused for a moment as he sucked in a shallow breath. "Mom if I ever did something, anything, that would have disappoint you, I just want you to know that I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. I've done things I know you would have never approved of and I'd by lying if I said that I was proud.... because I'm not." He paused again as he passed a hand over his face, quickly wiping away the tears that were threatening to fall. "Sam thinks you would have probably done the same if you were in my place... I'm starting to think that maybe he's right but at the same time, I'm kind of hoping that he's dead wrong. I like to think you were a better person than I am, and that you would have found a better way to deal with all the bullshit the angels put us through. That blade Gabriel gave to you... Well I couldn't even stomach the fact that it belonged to me, because it was an angel's blade."

When Dean took a quick glance across the grave yard at Sam and Castiel waiting by the Impala, he couldn't help but smile through the tears. "Never thought it would all make sense like it does now." He quietly started, thinking of everything he had given up for his little brother, including his soul. "I always looked out for Sammy because it's something I knew I had to do, not just because Dad told me to." He paused for only a moment as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "When I found out that I was actually his Guardian Angel and that looking out for him was something I was born to do, that it was in my blood all along; everything just fell into place. Sam doesn't know this, but when he left for school, I just didn't know what to do with myself... Without him around I just felt so lost, guess it was the Guardian Angel in me that needed him in sight. I know I shouldn't have to worry about him anymore, but just between you and me, I still do and I think that I always will."

Dean closed his eyes for a second as thoughts of his childhood or lack thereof crept into the back of his mind. The memories were always bittersweet, because for every good one, there were two bad. "I also owe Dad an apology... I didn't realize how full his plate was until now." He admitted, his heart sinking a bit as he eyed the monument in front of him, his father's name engraved right there next to his mother's. "Times were hard growing up, but I guess I never really knew how much harder it was for him. I use to think about it, you know, what I would have done differently if I was in his shoes... But I always come up empty handed, I can't imagine how I would have handled it. I mean the man was trying to raise two kids, save lives and not get himself killed in the process. Above all that, he was dealing with the possibility that one of us might have to someday kill the other... It's no wonder the man drank. I wish he would have just told me I was a Guardian Angel, but on the other hand, I think it's best that I didn't know." Though his father wasn't actually buried in the family's plot, the fact that his dogtags were there, was enough to call it his finale resting place. For a hunter, a well marked grave in a public cemetery was simply unheard-of; though his name was there, his ashes weren't. "So Dad if you 're listening, I'm sorry... I didn't know what you had to deal with." He said quietly as he got to his feet and waved Sam and Castiel over to join him. "I just didn't know."

As he turned his attention back to the headstone in front of him, Dean couldn't help but catch a glimpse of the two figures standing in the distance. Gabriel was leaning against a tree, one hand in his pocket and the other holding onto the stick of a sucker in his mouth; while Bela stood to his right, her hand resting on the head of a Hell hound sitting obediently at her side. There just long enough for Dean to notice that they were watching from afar, they were gone in the blink of an eye. While having Heaven's leader and Hell's most feared keep an eye on him was reason to worry in the past, that was no longer case; now it left him with a sense of comfort and security he had never felt before. "I think it's safe to say there's always going to be someone watching over us now." He quietly started, his gaze still fixed on where the pair had been standing only seconds ago. "I've got a few of my own demons to work out but Sam and I, I think we're going to be just fine." He continued, his eyes drifting over as Sam and Castiel approached. "We're going to be just fine." Dean whispered to himself, a smile creeping up from the corner of his lips as he watched his younger brother point something out to the renegade angel walking alongside him.

* * *

Be sure to check out the fanart that goes along with this story!  
 <http://kittrose.deviantart.com/art/Last-stand-332521697>


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